Eagles QB still silent on White House visit as some players choose to visit Trump after Super Bowl win

The Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to go to the White House on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX win. However, not all players have reacted the same way to the invitation. This shows there may be differences among them regarding their political opinions.

While the team officially accepted the invitation in early March with excitement, the team’s quarterback, Jalen Hurts, has not said whether he will go to the event. His silence stands out, especially after he gave an unclear answer when asked about the White House visit during an interview on the red carpet at the TIME 100 gala (per The Sun), then refused to say more.

This is very different from the behavior of running back Saquon Barkley, who spent a lot of time with President Trump before the planned visit, as reported by Fox. Barkley’s meeting with President Trump started on Sunday, when the two were seen together at the President’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Eagles team doesn’t appear in agreement about White House visit

Tump and Barkley were both seen getting off Marine One. After that, they flew on Air Force One to Washington D.C., ahead of the White House visit. During the trip, President Trump talked to reporters, making jokes about his time with Barkley and saying he had thought about racing the star player. What they discussed in private has not been shared publicly.

Barkley himself did not speak directly to reporters about the matter. The Eagles’ upcoming White House visit is not their first time dealing with the complicated nature of this tradition. In 2018, after their last Super Bowl win, the team chose not to visit the White House. That decision came after a period of political conflict between the NFL and then-President Trump over players protesting during the national anthem.

President Trump canceled the invitation back then after several players said they would not attend because of his position on the protests. This year’s visit is happening in a different but still politically tense environment.

Even with the potentially divisive political situation, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has publicly called the White House visit a “time-honored tradition,” implying the team is excited about the event. He also said that each player would be free to decide whether or not to attend. So far, no other players have publicly stated their plans.