The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions for the first time in the franchise’s history. Last night, the team defeated the five-time Super Bowl champions New England Patriots in a shootout game that featured the most offensive yards gained in any championship game.
Now that the Eagles have the coveted Lombardi Trophy, many players are vowing not to participate in the traditional White House visit for winning teams.
Via CNN:
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who also raised his fist during the National Anthem this past season, told CNN on Monday that he intends to skip the White House visit.“Nah, I personally do not anticipate attending,” Jenkins told CNN’s “New Day.”Wide receiver Torrey Smith, who also raised his fist on the field to express solidarity with the “Black Lives Matter” movement, expressed his disapproval of Trump’s war against players who take a knee during the national anthem to protest racism.
How shameful. First using the National Anthem to promote a vile sort of racial politics. Now refusing the honor of visiting the White House and meeting the President of the United States. This is terribly ungrateful.
If you remember, last year when the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, many players were excited to visit the White House. Sure, there were a few players who missed the visit, but most of the team happily went to the White House for a photo shoot. In fact, the turnout was so high, the New York Times actually tried to lie about it by posting a fake comparison photo from the Patriots’ visit in 2015 when Obama was still president. The paper was forced to post a correction.
UPDATE: Patriots say # of players was smaller this year than 2015 (34 vs. 50) but total delegation was roughly the same. pic.twitter.com/Ij77Def8z5
— NYT Sports (@NYTSports) April 20, 2017
How’s that for fake news?
Did you watch the Super Bowl? Do you think these Philadelphia Eagles players are spoiled brats for refusing to visit the White House? Tell us your thoughts below!