The White House issued a statement Monday night canceling Tuesday’s planned team visit.
President Donald Trump has called off a visit by the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House Tuesday due to the dispute over whether NFL players must stand during the playing of the national anthem.Trump said in a statement that some members of the Super Bowl championship team « disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart. »Trump said the team wanted to send a smaller delegation, but fans who planned to attend « deserve better. »He said he’ll instead be hosting « a different type of ceremony » with the U. S. Marine Band. The NFL recently announced a new policy requiring players to stand for the anthem if they’re on the field before a game. Trump had suggested players who kneel be fired. Over the course of the last several days, many Eagles players have been backing out of attending the presidential Super Bowl celebration because of Trump’s controversial comments about the NFL and players who have staged protests during the anthem. The president chose to change the nature of the event in light of the snubs, one official said. »He found having a smaller group come to the White House to be unsatisfactory, » the official told ABC News. Following the announcement, many took to Twitter, including players and politicians, expressing their thoughts on the president’s actions. Senator Bob Casey invited the Eagles to tour Congress instead. Representative Brendan Boyle said he would have Wawa coffee waiting if the Eagles did decide to visit the Capitol. Eagles fans who RSVP’d can still come to tomorrow’s event but no one, team or management, from the Eagles will be attending, the source confirmed. Asked if any players were still invited to come to the White House, the official replied: « if they all decide to stand [for the anthem], we would be open to having that conversation. »Below is the statement the White House released in its entirety.:——
