Eagles reveal they want far more than just photo op during WH visit
The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are in talks with the White House to schedule the customary visit and photo op, according to a team statement via ESPN.
“We have been in contact with White House representatives and are currently discussing the logistics of an upcoming visit to Washington,” the team said.
The Eagles statement corroborates what White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told The New York Times.
“We have been in conversations with the Eagles about timing and are working with them to make it happen,” Sanders said. “We hope to have something finalized in the next couple of weeks.”
Where the statements of Sanders and the Eagles diverge, however, is the little nugget of information Philadelphia squeezed in at the end of its statement.
“We are honored to receive this invitation and view this not only as an opportunity to be recognized for our on-field achievements, but also as an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue with the leaders of our country,” the Eagles statement concludes.
“Productive dialogue.”
That’s far more than just a visit and photo op. That’s time, bandwidth and more that the White House might or might not be able to fit into its schedule.
The “productive dialogue” sentiment rings a tad hollow, however, considering that the Eagles’ most socially active players have already said they wouldn’t attend a potential White House visit to meet President Donald Trump.
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was the de facto leader of the Players Coalition, a group of social activist players. Jenkins also spent the majority of last season raising his fist during the national anthem as a form of protest. The Pro Bowl safety was one of the first Eagles players to say he would not attend the White House.
Defensive end Chris Long has been one of the more socially active players in the NFL after the incidents that took place in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. In fairness, Long has also put his money where his mouth is by donating his entire year’s salary to charity. He hasn’t protested during the national anthem directly, but has placed his arm around Jenkins while the latter raised his fist during the anthem. Long was another early pass on a White House visit.
On the other side, there’s been a noted lack of players giving a hard confirmation that they would visit the White House if given the opportunity. Even mild-mannered Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has said the decision isn’t his.
“Whatever the team decides, I’m going to be with the team,” Foles told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve always said that about this decision. I’m a part of the organization, so whatever the organization decides, I’ll be with the organization.”
News of the Eagles’ desire for a dialogue comes on the heels of a report that team owner Jeffrey Lurie ripped Trump at a private league meeting in October.
“Another fact I want to throw out there: Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump,” Lurie said, according to an unpublished recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times.
Lurie was reportedly set off when a player at the meeting claimed it was impossible to trust the NFL owners because they all supported Trump.
“But this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one disastrous presidency,” Lurie said, while reportedly using a vulgarity to accentuate “disastrous.”
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