President Donald Trump on Monday stated that Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, will not be coming to visit the White House on Tuesday because the team participated in the national anthem protests.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. 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,” Trump said in a statement.
“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” he added.
However, Trump added that Eagles 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 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America,” he said.
According to The New York Times, Trump’s schedule was released by the White House just after 10 p.m. Monday and showed that at that time on Tuesday the President would be participating “in the Celebration of America.”
Trump criticized NFL players who protested during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before games last season, calling for them to be punished or fired.
Several of Philadelphia’s players were among those who protested during the national anthem last season as a way to raise awareness of social justice issues.
Meanwhile, two Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers, Senator Bob Casey and Representative Brendan Boyle, invited the team to visit the Capitol instead.
The Eagles also issued a brief statement late Monday saying that did not acknowledge the President’s decision to rescind the invitation.
“It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship,” the team said. “Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season.”
Be the first to comment