Back in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles were set to visit the White House after their Super Bowl LII victory, a tradition for the Super Bowl winners ever since Jimmy Carter invited the Steelers back in 1980. However, the visit was canceled when President Donald Trump disinvited the team, citing disagreements over standing for the national anthem. This decision came after several players expressed their intention to skip the event, leading to a situation where only a few players planned to attend.

Several players, including some key figures, made it clear they wouldn’t attend, leading to a very public disagreement. Fast forward to now—Super Bowl LIX champs again—and the Eagles are heading to the White House on Monday. Well, most of them. If the reports are accurate, the Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts, will not be visiting the White House.

On Monday, White House Correspondent for NBC News, Yamiche Alcindor, took to her official “X” handle and shared the news. “A White House official confirms to me that @Eagles quarterback @JalenHurts will not be visiting the White House when the Super Bowl champions come later this afternoon. The White House says Hurts and other players who can’t attend had “scheduling conflicts,” she wrote.

Though it’s still unclear who from the team will be attending the White House. But it’s almost certain that the Super Bowl winning quarterback has made his choice. The Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie stated during the owner’s meeting earlier this month that the players are allowed to make their choice whether they want to visit or not.

“We just felt that this is a time-honored tradition, being invited by the White House,” Lurie said. “There was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing.”Alright, let’s keep it real. A few weeks ago, Jalen Hurts made the Time100 list of most influential people.

So, when someone asked him at the Time100 Gala if he’d be going to the White House, he just kinda paused, said “Umm,” gave a little smile, looked away, and didn’t say anything else. No need to spell it out, right? A complete silence. But his silence surely spoke volumes. However, the rest of the team is expected to visit President Donald Trump after winning the Super Bowl.

Saquon Barkley was spotted with President Donald Trump

Just a couple of months after knocking off the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Eagles are finally making their way to the White House on Monday. According to the schedule shared by the White House Communications team Sunday night, Trump is set to meet the team on the South Lawn at 4 p.m.

During the NFL owners’ meeting earlier this month, Jeffrey Lurie admitted that it was an “obvious choice” to visit the White House after winning the Super Bowl. “We just felt this is a time-honored tradition, being invited by the White House,” Lurie said. “There was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing.” 

Lurie did point out that the visit was optional. But here’s the fun part: Saquon Barkley was actually spotted playing golf with the President just a day before the visit. Trump even joked with reporters, calling Barkley a “nice guy” and saying he “wanted to race him.” But he later decided against it. But, of course, internet doesn’t miss a thing. Barkley’s little trip to the White House didn’t exactly fly under the radar.

Fans flooded social media, calling him out for it. Barkley didn’t back down, though, stating, “get out of my mentions with all this politics.” He added “Lol some people are really upset cause I played golf and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” Barkley wrote. “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump.”

The guy concluded his message with a crying-laughing emoji. Safe to say, Barkley’s not losing any sleep over the backlash. He’s just out here playing golf, making moves, and keeping it pushing.