Trump cancels Eagles' visit to White House: 'They disagree with their President'
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their invite for a planned visit to the White House on Tuesday, according to a statement by President Donald Trump.
Breaking from @realDonaldTrump #Eagles #SuperBowl #nationalanthem pic.twitter.com/bkb4BnLYPh
— Ed Henry (@edhenry) June 4, 2018
The president's decision comes after a large group of players had already decided not to attend, including most - if not all - of the black players, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The statement claims the Eagles are unable to attend with their full team because "they disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country."
Even though a smaller group wanted to attend, they're not being allowed as "the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better."
Those fans are still invited to attend a ceremony "that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem."
Wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was traded to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, called the president's decision a "cowardly act," and said making it about the anthem is "foolish."
There are a lot of people on the team that have plenty of different views. The men and women that wanted to go should’ve been able to go. It’s a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people don’t want to see you. To make it about the anthem is foolish
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) June 4, 2018