After widespread rumors on social media that the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles won’t visit Trump’s White House, the Eagles and NFL are setting the record straight.
A source at the NFL tells Front Office Sports that the Eagles are planning to visit the White House and “look forward” to receiving their invitation.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, NFL Media’s Ian Rapaport, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, and even CNN’s Jake Tapper, all citing sources at the Eagles, each tweeted a similar comment Monday.
A story from the U.S. Sun before the Super Bowl claimed, citing a member of the team’s ownership group, that the Eagles had already decided to decline an invite should they win the game (they won handily, defeating the Chiefs 40-22), and that team owner Jeffrey Lurie’s disagreements with Trump’s policies were a key factor in the decision. That story recirculated over the weekend.
FOS reported earlier Monday that an official White House invitation had not actually been extended to the Eagles, and that an NFL source believed the team would accept the invitation. Lurie gave a non-committal response to FOS when asked days before the Super Bowl whether he would accept an invite to the Trump White House if his team won.
Florida Panthers went to the White House today. Here at Super Bowl media night @KaplanSportsBiz just asked Eagles owner Jeff Lurie if the Eagles will visit the White House if they win.
— Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) February 4, 2025
Lurie laughed and took a beat and said "I just want to win on Sunday." pic.twitter.com/Slw7jAHH4t
The Eagles did not visit the White House after their previous Super Bowl win in 2018 during Trump’s first term. The president pulled the invitation after a majority of Eagles players, including most of their Black players, said they planned to decline.
Only four members of that 2018 team were also part of this year’s winning Eagles team: tackle Lane Johnson, kicker Jake Elliott, long snapper Rick Lovato, and defensive end Brandon Graham.
Trump witnessed the first half of the Eagles romp over the Chiefs in New Orleans in person, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl, though he left early in the second half.
