It hasn’t even been a full day since the Philadelphia Eagles secured their title as Super Bowl champions, but several players are already announcing their plans to skip the traditional White House celebration that usually accompanies the victory.
According to NJ.com, Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith, defensive end Chris Long and safety Malcolm Jenkins are among those who plan to boycott visiting President Donald Trump at the White House.
Of course, there have been no formal announcements from the White House yet, but one can only imagine how long it will take ol’ Twitter Fingers to catch wind of the news and rage-tweet while gnashing his teeth about the snub.
So far, the only thing referencing the Super Bowl on his timeline has been the expected “congratulations.”
Nonetheless, after the president’s repeated attacks against NFL players for protesting black oppression, a lot of players aren’t trying to be in his presence.
“They call it the anthem protest,” Smith told the news site earlier this week. “We’re not protesting the anthem. It’s a protest during the anthem.”
Long, on the other hand, is just doubling down, having skipped the Super Bowl White House trip last year as a member of the New England Patriots. He told NJ.com that he doesn’t want his children to grow up to be influenced by Trump’s policies and actions.
“No, I’m not going to the White House,” Long said during a Pardon My Take podcast. “Are you kidding me?”
Malcolm Jenkins spoke out on CNN after the game, making it clear that the White House trip wasn’t a part of his life plans, either.
“I personally do not anticipate attending [a victory event at the White House],” he said. “I don’t have a message for the president. My message has been clear all year. I’m about creating positive change in the communities that I come from.”