Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts chose not to attend the team’s White House celebration on April 28, 2025, following their Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hurts, along with several of his teammates including A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Brandon Graham, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis — was noticeably absent.
According to a White House official who requested anonymity, the players cited “scheduling conflicts” as their reason for skipping the event.
Still, former President Donald Trump, now in his second term, had nothing but praise for Hurts, calling him a “terrific guy and terrific player” who turned in “one stellar performance after another” during the Eagles’ championship run.
“The Eagles have turned out to be an incredible team, an incredible group,” Trump said during the ceremony.
When asked on the red carpet of the Time magazine gala last week whether he would attend the White House visit, Hurts gave an awkward “um” and then fell silent before walking away, a moment that quickly drew attention on social media.
The absence of several players didn’t come as a total surprise.
In April, team owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear the White House trip was entirely voluntary. “Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie explained. “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.”
This isn’t the first time the Eagles and the White House have had a complicated relationship.
In 2018, after their last Super Bowl win, the team was disinvited from visiting President Trump when a number of players refused to attend due to his stance on national anthem protests.
At the time, Trump posted that the Eagles were in dispute “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.”
Meanwhile, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had no hesitation attending the event.
He spent the weekend with Trump at his New Jersey golf club and flew with the president to Washington on Air Force One. “He loved it,” Trump said about Barkley’s flight. “He’s a great young guy and an incredible football player.
Saquon had a season for the ages, running behind the most powerful offensive line in the NFL.”
Barkley, however, did take to social media to respond to critics who questioned why he would associate with Trump. He wrote, “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand,” and added that he had also previously golfed with Barack Obama.
Traditionally, White House visits are an expected part of championship celebrations for major sports teams.
But during Trump’s earlier term, several teams such as the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team either declined the invitation or were never invited following public disputes.
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