(NEXSTAR) – The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles met with President Trump at the White House Monday, but a notable star was absent – quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts was not the only Eagles players to decline the D.C. trip, citing scheduling conflicts, a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity told The Associated Press and Nexstar’s NewsNation.
Asked by a reporter on the red carpet of the Time 100 Gala last week whether he would visit, Hurts responded with an awkward “um” and long silence before walking away.
Saquon Barkley responds to backlash after golfing with Trump
Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley visited Trump over the weekend at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and caught a ride with the president to Washington on Air Force One.
In a post on social media Monday, Barkley fired back at critics, saying, “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump!”
Barkley also suggested they “get out of my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
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It wasn’t the first time that Eagles players opted out of a meeting with the president. In 2018, the White House canceled a visit after a number of the Super Bowl LII winners declined to attend over then-President Trump’s stance on NFL players taking part in national anthem protests of police brutality and racial injustice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
