The Philadelphia Eagles are planning to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory if they are invited, according to multiple reports, following a social media firestorm from right-wing users who bashed the team over claims it planned to skip the tradition.
The Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 in this year's Super Bowl. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The scrutiny the Eagles received appears to be linked to a report from The U.S. Sun published days prior to the Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, citing an unnamed insider who said the Eagles team and its front office gave a “massive no” when asked if they would accept a White House invitation if they won the championship, with an unnamed “member of the ownership group” and an anonymous “Eagles star” backing the claims.
Right-wing political commentator Megyn Kelly responded to a tweet claiming the Eagles declined an invite to the White House, saying Sunday, “GO F YOURSELVES EAGLES” before providing an update Monday in which she acknowledged The Sun report and said the White House denied the Eagles were invited.
Outrage against the Eagles continued Monday as right-wing users bashed the team on the platform, putting the “Philadelphia Eagles” as one of the top five trending topics Monday afternoon.
When asked for comment on the matter, the White House directed Forbes to a tweet from sports writer Clay Travis, who said the White House had not sent an invite to the Eagles as of Monday and that the “reports that have gone viral on social media are fake news.”
Posts from NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport also contradicted viral claims the Eagles turned down an invite, with both citing team sources who said the Eagles look forward to receiving an invitation.
The Eagles did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
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Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has reportedly criticized President Donald Trump in the past, reportedly saying in a private meeting with NFL team owners in 2018 that Trump’s first presidency was “disastrous,” according to The New York Times. Lurie also donated to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, Politico reported.
Trump picked the Chiefs to win this year’s Super Bowl, where the Eagles routed the two-time defending champions in a 40-22 victory. Champions of the major American pro sports leagues, and some college champions, historically visit the White House and meet with the president, but that did not happen after the Eagles won Super Bowl LII in 2018. The Eagles did not visit the White House in that year after Trump said players who kneel during the national anthem should not be playing and “maybe” should not be in the U.S. Trump pulled the Eagles' invitation to the White House after a majority of the team said they would not show up over the president’s stance that players stand during the national anthem. Multiple championship winning teams in Trump’s first presidency did not visit the White House after their crowning achievement, including the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors and the 2018 Seattle Storm.
Lurie’s net worth is estimated at $5.3 billion, and Eagles are valued at $6.6 billion, making the team the eighth-most valuable in the NFL.
Trump Picks Chiefs To Win Super Bowl—And He’s Clashed With The Eagles In The Past (Forbes)