The Philadelphia Eagles gladly would accept the invitation to the White House traditionally extended to Super Bowl champions, multiple outlets reported.
That refutes rumors that reached a crescendo Monday that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie would decline to visit with President Donald Trump.
Front Office Sports, citing an NFL source, said the Eagles “look forward” to an invitation, which the White House confirmed to Politico had not been issued as of Monday.
Trump was at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 when the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans. He left early in the second half but was the first sitting president to attend the championship game.
The Eagles are the first team to win a championship in Trump’s second term, but he did host the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Feb. 3, nearly eight months after they won the title.
In Trump’s first term, which began in January 2017, some teams didn’t get an invitation or players declined to attend, saying they were against Trump policies and positions. That included his stand against players who chose to kneel for the national anthem.
After winning the 2018 Super Bowl, most Eagles players and coaches said they would boycott a visit to Washington, D.C. Instead, Trump pulled the invitation and gave the stage to the U.S. Marine Band and Army Chorus for a musical tribute to the nation.
