The Eagles had no choice. Jeffrey Lurie, as the owner of the team that won Super Bowl LII, couldn’t reject an invitation to the White House, and he couldn’t allow his distaste for Donald Trump to keep the White House from offering an invitation. A man who preaches tolerance could not indulge his politics and deny players the opportunity to visit the place that has best represented democracy for more than 200 years. The invitation arrived Thursday.
The Eagles players do have a choice. The team plans to visit D.C. on June 5, but any player can opt out of the White House portion of the itinerary.