Multiple Philadelphia Eagles Players Say They're Not Going to the White House
Hopefully Donald Trump won't tweet through this
It's been less than 24 hours since the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, but a number of Eagles players have already insinuated that they would not make the customary visit to the White House.
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The player who has been most vocal about this is safety Malcolm Jenkins, who told CNN's John Berman he wasn't going. When asked what was his message to President Donald Trump, Berman said he didn't have a message to give to the President. He then added this:
My message has been clear all year. Im about creating positive change in the communities that I come from, whether it be Philadelphia, New Jersey, Ohio, Louisiana, or this entire country. I want to see changes in our criminal justice system. I want to see us push for economic and educational advancement in communities of color and low-income communities.
\u201cPhiladelphia Eagles star Malcolm Jenkins says he intends to skip the team's upcoming visit to the White House to commemorate their Super Bowl victory https://t.co/l0GhR7jev7\u201d— CNN (@CNN) 1517842870
Defensive lineman Chris Long, who famously donated his entire 2017 salary to help fund scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast and said No, Im not going to the White House...Are you kidding me? (It should be noted that last year Long won a championship with the Pats, and he didn't visit the White House then either.)
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Wide receiver Torrey Smith before the game said he wasn't going to visit Trump because the President had suggested that players were protesting the National Anthem, not societal injustices like police brutality:
They call it the anthem protest. Were not protesting the anthem. Its a protest during the anthem. My father when he dies, is going to be buried with an American flag draped around his casket, being that he served in the army. Also, there are soldiers that have issues going on right now, and they are things that affect them. Theyre things that affect my father. He understands both sides of the issue.
After the Eagles won on Sunday, Smith sent out tweets having some fun with the critics:
And then there isLeGarrette Blount, who was a running back on the Patriots last yeat. When the Pats beat the Atlanta Falcons inSuper Bowl LI, Blount didn't attend the White House, sayingI just dont feel welcome into that house.
He hasn't indicated what he'll do this year. But not much has chance in a years time.
Source: CBS
