President Trump cancels White House invitation for Super Bowl champion Eagles

Heather Tucker, USA TODAY Sports Published 7:32 p.m. ET June 4, 2018 | Updated 12:48 a.m. ET June 5, 2018

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Less than 24 hours before President Trump was to welcome the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, he rescinded the invitation Monday evening.

Several members of the Eagles, including safety Malcolm Jenkins — one of the leaders of the Players Coalition — and defensive end Chris Long, said before Trump extended the invitation that they would not attend if invited.

"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow," Trump wrote in a statement. "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 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America."

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Jenkins and Long are among several players who voiced support for former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in 2016 began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.

The NFL owners adopted a new anthem policy on May 23 that will allow for players who do not wish to stand for the anthem to remain in the tunnel. Teams can be fined if players do not stand and "show respect" during the anthem. Trump also said players who chose not to stand "shouldn't be in the country."

Fewer than 10 players were planning to attend the White House event, according to several reports.

Wide receiver Torrey Smith, who played for the Eagles but was traded in the offseason to the Carolina Panthers, admonished Trump for the decision.

"There are a lot of people on the team that have plenty of different views," Smith wrote in a tweet. "The men and women that wanted to go should’ve been able to go. It’s a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people don’t want to see you. To make it about the anthem is foolish"

The team released a statement late Monday night that did not directly address Trump's action:

"It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship. Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season."

Just after the team released its statement, Trump tweeted this:

"The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of payers decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!"

Meanwhile, support from Pennsylvania politicians rolled in.

Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) tweeted that the team could visit Congress as his guest.

"I'm proud of what the @Eagles accomplished this year. I'm skipping this political stunt at the White House and just invited the Eagles to Congress. @Eagles How about a tour of the Capitol?"

The state's governor, Tom Wolf, said through a spokesman: "Pa. is proud of our Super Bowl champions and their contributions to our commonwealth on and off the field. No amount of political silliness in Washington will damper our enthusiasm or take away the victory for the Eagles or their fans."

Jim Kenney, the mayor of Philadelphia, also issued a statement in which he called Trump "a fragile egomaniac obsessed with crowd size and afraid of the embarrassment of throwing a party to which no one wants to attend."

Kenney also added that ''City Hall is always open for a celebration."

Before the Eagles accepted the White House visit, The New York Times reported that team owner Jeffrey Lurie said in an October meeting among players, owners and league personnel that "many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump."

Last September, the possibility of a White House visit for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors broke down after Trump took issue with star guard Stephen Curry saying he would not attend a celebration. Instead, the Warriors focused on education and community service during their February visit to the nation's capital.

Follow Tucker on Twitter @HeatherR_Tucker

Contributing: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz