The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have formally accepted an invitation to celebrate their win at the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Tuesday.
The revelation comes after a weeks-long controversy over whether or not President Donald Trump wanted the Eagles to come to the White House following their win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX or if it was actually the case that the Eagles declined an invitation.
“I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent. We want to correct the record. We sent an invitation, they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28,” Leavitt said, per ESPN. The outlet also contacted a team spokesperson for the Eagles, who reportedly confirmed that the invitation was accepted.
‘I thought it was a great performance by them.’
As Blaze News previously reported, an alleged inside source told outlets in February that the NFL champions had declined an invitation to the White House and did so with a “massive no.”
NBC’s Pro Football Talk then claimed a source, who allegedly had direct knowledge in the Eagles’ decision, said the team would visit the White House if invited. The source also said the team never rejected an invitation and would be honored to accept one if given the chance.
Trump eventually cleared up his side of the matter when he was asked about sending the invitation.
“We haven’t yet, but we will be. I thought it was a great performance by them,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Absolutely they’ll be extended that invitation.”
The Eagles vs. Trump ordeal dates back to 2018, when the team declined to visit the president following their Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots.
The event was reportedly canceled due to how few players wanted to attend. The sentiment against the administration was particularly strong with two Eagles players at the time, safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive end Chris Long. The players were reportedly focused on the vague stance of social injustice, including national anthem protests before NFL games.
“I don’t want to take away from anybody’s experience or make it a big distraction. It’s a celebratory event, and I want the guys who choose to go or whatever to enjoy that,” Jenkins said in 2018. “Me personally, because it’s not a meeting or a sit-down or anything like that, I’m just not interested in the photo op.”
Trump voiced his opinion at the time and said the Eagles 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.”
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