Why Eagle won’t land at White House do

PHILADELPHIA Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith says he will skip a White House reception if his team win the Super Bowl following the NFL’s season of protest.

Smith, one of several Eagles players who demonstrated during the US national anthem this season following a bitter feud with President Donald Trump, says he will not visit Washington if the Eagles win Sunday’s showpiece.

Trump triggered uproar in September after describing players who knelt during the anthem as “sons of bitches” who should be fired.

Smith, the son of a US military serviceman, protested along with teammates Malcolm Jenkins and Brandon Graham by raising a fist at several games this season.

On Wednesday he clarified the nature of his protest.

“They call it the anthem protest,” Smith said. “We’re not protesting the anthem. It’s a protest during the anthem.

“I understand why people are mad, or may be offended when someone takes a knee.

“My father, when he dies, he’s going to be buried with an American flag draped around his casket, being that he served in the army.

“There are soldiers who have issues going on right now and they are things that affect them. They’re things that affect my father. He understands both sides of the issue.”