The Philadelphia Eagles were set to visit the White House for the Super Bowl celebration on Tuesday. That will no longer happen, as the White House has announced the Eagles are no longer welcome.
"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow," a statement by the President read. "They disagree with their President because he insists 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. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony - one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United State Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America."
Below is a photo of the press release.
The Eagles had planned to send only a smaller group of players, a move designed by owner Jeffery Lurie to avoid putting players in a tough situation. The decision came after the Eagles met with their players about the White House visit. Those who didn't want to go were set to have an optional day at the facility. Instead, no one is going.
The move by the President comes after the NFL instituted a new national anthem policy that NFL players didn't support or approve. Trump was in favor of the new policy, but players like Chris Long of the Eagles rejected it. Long and fellow teammate Malcolm Jenkins had already said they would not attend.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
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