The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles visited the White House on Monday, with a notable exception — team quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts was not present, due to what White House officials told Scripps News was a "scheduling conflict."
Trump nonetheless said Monday Hurts was a “terrific guy and terrific player” who gave “one stellar performance after another” during the Eagles' run to the postseason.
“The Eagles have turned out to be an incredible team, an incredible group," Trump said.
Hurts did not answer reporter questions last week about whether he would attend the White House event.
Most of the team, including coach Nick Sirriani and running back Saquon Barkley, were at the White House gathering.
Barkley played golf with President Trump on Sunday and hitched a ride to Washington D.C. aboard Air Force One. He brushed off criticism of closeness with the president on social media.
"Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand," Barkley wrote.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl following a 14-3 regular 2024 season.
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Despite the notable absences, this year's White House appearance still marks a change from one of the Eagles' earlier championships.
Only a few members of the team planned to attend the White House after their Super Bowl victory in 2018. Then-President Trump canceled the event and instead publicized a "Celebration of America."
"The president decided to change the event so that it would be a celebration of the American flag with Eagles fans and performances by United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus," said then-Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
