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Eagles Owner Reveals Surprising Detail About Team’s White House Visit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 5:39 PM ET

Some Philadelphia Eagles fans are upset at the team’s decision to accept President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit the White House following their Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9.

The team decided against going back in 2018 during Trump’s first presidential term after beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII because of his controversial stance on players protesting during the national anthem.

Then, the players made it known they wouldn’t attend if invited despite it being a tradition for the Super Bowl champions to visit the White House, and Trump didn’t even extend an invite their way after the publicity the situation got on social media.

But after Trump announced the Eagles would be invited this year, the team confirmed it was taking him up on his offer this time around.

With the Eagles are set to appear at the White House on April 28, team owner Jeffrey Lurie clarified whether or not player attendance was mandatory.

“Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie told reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings this week. “If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time and if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing.”

Though Lurie has been vocal in his criticism of Trump in the past, it was his call to decide whether or not the Eagles would travel to Washington, D.C., as a guest of the president.

He also reiterated that the team’s presence at the White House wasn’t a politically driven decision but rather one made out of respect for convention.

“We just felt this is a time honored tradition being invited by the White House,” Lurie added. “So there was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing. There were special circumstances [in 2018] that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice and look forward to it.

“When you grow up and you hear about, ‘Oh, the championship team got to go to the White House,’ that’s what this is. And so we didn’t have that opportunity and now we do. I think we’re all looking forward to it.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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