Because of their opposition to President Donald Trump and his divisive rhetoric, several players from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have already said they won’t attend the traditional post–Super Bowl victory party at the White House.
The Eagles players who say they won’t attend the traditional White House visit have spoken out against the president all season.
“My message has been clear all year … I want to see changes in our criminal justice system,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins told CNN after his team’s first Super Bowl win. “I want to see us push for economical and educational advancement in communities of color and low-income communities. And I want to see our relationship between our communities and our law enforcement be advanced.”
Following the team’s historic win against the New England Patriots on Sunday, defensive end Chris Long and running back LeGarrette Blount have explicitly said they will not meet with Trump at the White House, CNN reported. Long and Blount skipped the White House visit last year when they played for the Patriots.
“No, I’m not going to the White House. Are you kidding me?” Long said during an interview on the “Pardon My Take” podcast last Sunday.
Prior to the Super Bowl game, Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith vowed to skip the White House visit, too.
“We’re very informed about what goes on, and we’re trying to continue to educate ourselves,” Smith said, according to NJ.com. “It’s pretty special to have a group like that of folks that aren’t just socially conscious, but folks who genuinely care about people and care about learning more.”
