Super Bowl champion Eagles will visit D.C., but not all players will go to White House
Malcolm Jenkins said the Eagles will go to Washington, D.C., as a team, but they won’t all be going to the White House. The White House invited the Eagles to visit on June 5. Eagles coach Doug Pederson confirmed Tuesday that the team accepted the invitation but added logistics are being worked out. Jenkins, the Eagles safety, is one of many players who have said he won’t go to the White House, and he has expressed his opposition to President Trump’s policies in the past. Defensive end Chris Long is among other players who said he won’t visit the White House. Jenkins said many players are planning alternative community events in Washington while those who want to go to the White House can do so. But he added that the players all met as a team and decided they will all go to Washington. “Some guys dream of going to the White House when they win the Super Bowl,” Jenkins said. “I don’t think we should deny anyone that opportunity. Some guys feel really strongly about not going. ... I think we’ll make it flexible enough where guys can do what they want to do.” Trump has spoken out against NFL players protesting during the national anthem over the past two seasons. Jenkins has raised his fist to protest social injustices for most of that time. Jenkins is also one of the leaders of the Players Coalition, a group of players that appealed to the NFL owners about helping inner cities. The NFL recently pledged
$89 million over several years for inner city programs.
❚ Three former Houston Texans cheerleaders claimed in a federal lawsuit they were subjected to harassment, including about their weight and ethnic background, by the team’s cheerleading director. They also claim the director took no action after they reported to have been “physically assaulted by fans.” The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status and was first reported by The Washington Post, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The one named defendant is identified only by initials (P.G.G.) in the amended lawsuit filed Tuesday, although attorney Bruse Loyd told USA TODAY that there were two other plaintiffs in the case and he expects more to come forward. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the team’s alleged failure to pay the former cheerleaders for “off-the-clock” and overtime work. They also claim the team didn’t pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
FIFA closes cases involving Russians
FIFA says there is insufficient evidence any players on Russia’s World Cup squad have previously doped. The governing body has been assessing information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, samples recovered from the Moscow lab, and information from its former director Grigory Rodchenkov. Russia last week named a provisional 28-man squad, plus seven reserves for the World Cup in Russia starting June 14.
WWE coming to Fox?
WWE and Fox are finalizing a deal that will bring SmackDown Live to the network beginning in October 2019, according to multiple reports. The five-year deal, as currently constructed, is worth $205 million annually and more than $1 billion overall, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the deal.
From staff and wire reports