The Philadelphia Eagles won’t be sending the whole convocation to the nation’s capital.
Nearly three months after hoisting the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, the Eagles are getting their day at the White House on Monday.
However, the Super Bowl 59 champions will be without their starting quarterback on Monday when the team meets with President Donald Trump.
Jalen Hurts, the Super Bowl MVP, will not be in attendance, according to USA TODAY’s White House correspondent, Joey Garrison.
Hurts is not the first player to skip the visit and he almost certainly won’t be the last in what has become a politically charged event. Tom Brady famously skipped the visit with former President Barack Obama. During the first Trump administration, the Eagles, as a team, didn’t go following the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory and were eventually uninvited.
MLB’s Mookie Betts didn’t go with the Boston Red Sox to celebrate their World Series victory in 2019 but opted to visit with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month.
In this case with Hurts, the White House said his absence is related to a scheduling conflict.
The quarterback’s silence in response to a question from TIME on April 24 about the upcoming visit stole headlines, with many suggesting the non-answer meant Hurts would opt out.
One Eagles player who won’t be opting out is Saquon Barkley. The star running back was seen with the president on Sunday after golfing with the commander-in-chief at his New Jersey golf course.
Barkley, in a post on X, fired back at critics on Monday.
‘Some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,’ he 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 ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day (crying laughing emoji).’
The ceremony will take place on the White House’s South Lawn beginning at 4 p.m. ET, according to the president’s public calendar.
