President Trump was on hand Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX.
It remains to be seen whether the newly crowned NFL champions will be invited to his house to celebrate — and if they would even go if they were invited. A White House visit did not occur after the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018, during Trump’s first term as president.
“I’d be honored to go, regardless of who the president is, but we’ll see,” right tackle Lane Johnson, a member of both Eagles championship teams, told Sportico on Sunday. “It’s ultimately a team decision. I’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Edge rusher Josh Sweat was somewhat vague when asked about a possible White House visit after Sunday’s win.
“It’s a great honor,” he told Sportico, “but I’m looking forward to this [championship] parade more than anything,”
When the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, several players — including defensive end Chris Long, receiver Torrey Smith and safety Malcolm Jennings — indicated they would not attend a White House celebration.
In June 2018, Trump rescinded his invitation to the Eagles, tying players’ decisions not to attend with his stand against athletes taking a knee in protest during the pregame playing of the national anthem.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump said in a statement at the time. “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,”
Last week, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was asked by Front Office Sports if his team would visit the White House if it won Super Bowl LIX. He smiled and ducked the question.
“I just want to win Sunday,” he said.
A reported 10 championship teams either weren’t invited to the White House or decided not to attend a celebration there during Trump’s first term. Trump famously rescinded his invitation to the 2017 NBA champion Golden State Warriors after star player Stephen Curry said he would not attend.
On Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He didn’t reveal which team he was rooting for, although he did predict a Kansas City win during a taped interview that aired during Fox’s pregame show. Before the start of the season, Trump praised Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, and predicted he would see them at the Super Bowl at the end of the season.
Members of the Mahomes family are said to have visited with Trump on Sunday in his Superdome suite.
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