2 EAGLES PLANNED WHITE HOUSE VISIT
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles players and officials made individual decisions to not go to the White House for a scheduled celebration of their Super Bowl title, leaving two players actually planning to make the trip to Washington before the visit was canceled by President Donald Trump, according to players and a person familiar with the arrangements.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because of the sensitivity of the issues.
All- Pro center Jason Kelce said players filled out forms anonymously indicating whether they wanted to go to the White House, not make the trip or go to Washington and do something else.
“It’s a little bit disappointing as a country right now that we’re so divided, I think that’s the bigger disappointment,” said Kelce, who became a folk hero in Philadelphia for an impassioned, profane rally speech he gave after a day of antics during the city’s Super Bowl parade.
The players did not urge a collective decision on what to do as a team, giving each player his own option of whether to take the trip.
Defensive end Chris Long, who skipped the trip last year when he was with the New England Patriots and again decided early to not attend, said he hopes athletes on championship teams in all sports won’t have to make the decision when Trump’s term is up for reelection in 2020. “The players didn’t create this division [ in the country],” Long said. “I’m extremely proud to be part of this team.”
Safety Malcolm Jenkins, an outspoken leader for social reforms, held up handwritten signs on issues important to him and other players instead of verbally answering questions.
“You aren’t listening,” one sign said. Another said that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick gave $ 1 million to charity. Another sign by Jenkins read: “More than 60 percent of people in prison are people of color.” Also Wednesday, hockey player Devante Smith- Pelly said he would skip a White House visit if the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup. Smith- Pelly, one of two black Capitals players, spoke about Trump to Canada’s Postmedia.
“The things that he spews are straight- up racist and sexist,” Smith- Pelly said. “Some of the things he’s said are pretty gross. . . . It hasn’t come up here, but I think I already have my mind made up.”