Members of the Philadelphia Eagles visited the White House yesterday, but several key players were absent.
In February, the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, which meant they would earn themselves a trip to the White House to meet President Donald Trump. In keeping with professionalism, the Eagles accepted the invite and met with Trump yesterday.
However, several key places were missing, including quarterback Jalen Hurts (who won the game’s MVP award). There were many rumors that he would not attend given a brief interview at the TIME 100 Gala on Thursday, and all doubts were quieted yesterday.
The @Eagles visited the White House today to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory. pic.twitter.com/cFmrU706F0
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2025
Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith did not attend the Eagles White House visit pic.twitter.com/Zc7OdlIYXm
— The Eagle Times (@the_eagle_times) April 28, 2025
Other high-profile players who didn’t attend included A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, Jalen Carter, and Josh Sweat.
Thankfully, not all of Philadelphia’s top-end talent were absent. Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, James Bradberry, and Cooper DeJean all showed up. In addition to attending the meet-and-greet, Barkley spent time with Trump the day before the meeting with his team and even played golf with him.
WATCH: Donald Trump and Saquon Barkley exiting Marine One.
— OutKick (@Outkick) April 27, 2025
Eagles visit White House tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Yw7RB3W8TO
Of course, there were more than a few idiots on social media who found it problematic that Barkley would spend extra time with Trump, so he took to X to defend himself.
lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my…
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 28, 2025
Not all athletes are going to like Trump or his policies, but that doesn’t mean they should decline an invite to meet him. Heck, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker despised Joe Biden, but he still attended the White House after his team won Super Bowl LVIII. Furthermore, players who do spend time with Trump should not face any flack.
All of the Eagles players should have made the visit, even if they don’t like Trump's policies. Choosing not to sends a strong message of disunity and sets a poor example for the rest of us.
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— MRCTV (@mrctv) April 29, 2025
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