The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a stunning Super Bowl victory back in February and, in customary fashion, a visit to the White House was scheduled for the champions of the NFL. However, the visit, set for Tuesday, June 5, will no longer be taking place, as the White House released a statement from President Donald Trump canceling the event.
The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony—one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America.
As noted in the release, members of the Eagles were seemingly set to skip the trip as a result of disagreements with the White House, particularly over the issue of the National Anthem. In late May, the NFL announced a new policy surrounding the anthem and it was highly controversial, including the fact that the NFLPA was not consulted during the process.
It is odd that “1,000 fans” would attend an event that no longer includes their favorite team and fallout from this decision on behalf of President Trump will be interesting to monitor. For now, this will almost certainly add fuel to the fire when considering the conversation surrounding anthem protests and members of the Eagles organization could weigh in on the decision in the near future.
