College football champions Georgia decline Biden White House invite
Georgia’s national championship college football team is declining an invitation to visit the White House.
According to a statement released by the Georgia athletic association on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will not be able to attend a 12 June event with other college teams at the White House. The event is described by Joe and Jill Biden as “College Athlete Day.”
The statement from Georgia says the team’s schedule interferes with the suggested date which was provided in an invitation received earlier this month. The Athletic reports that Georgia and the White House debated possible dates for the invitation but could reach a final agreement.
“The University of Georgia first received on 3 May an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on 12 June,” the statement from the athletic association said. “Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgiateamsmovingforward.”
Georgia did not provide more specifics of the schedule conflict.
Some professional championship teams, including the 2021 Atlanta Braves, have made White House visits during the Biden administration. This year’s NCAA men’s and women’s championship basketball teams from Connecticut and Louisiana State, respectively, are scheduled to visit the White House on 26 May.
However, championship teams have missed White House visits in the past. In 2019, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors met Barack Obama instead of visiting Donald Trump’s White House. They had skipped meetings with Trump on two previous occasions.
The last college football national champions to visit the White House were LSU after the 2019 season. The next two champions, Alabama (2020 season) and Georgia (2021 season) did not visit the White House due to Covid-19 protocols.
Coach Kirby Smart and quarterback Stetson Bennett led the Bulldogs to their second consecutive national championship with a 65-7 runaway win over TCU.