The Philadelphia Eagles visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LIX.
For over 100 years, the United States has had a tradition of visiting the White House after a professional sports championship.
The Philadelphia Eagles carried on this tradition during a trip to Washington, D.C., where the franchise visited both the White House and Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump said during the celebration at the White House that the team “made Eagles fans everywhere very proud” and congratulated all of the players on a terrific accomplishment during their season.
“It was a great moment for an incredible group of people. Throughout their extraordinary season, an amazing group of warriors. And that’s what they are; they’re really modern-day warriors who inspired the world with their incredible spirit, athletic dominance, and exceptional teamwork,” continued the President, per the Delaware News Journal.
Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie released a statement about the event and said the franchise is “grateful for the hospitality” and appreciates the “opportunity to celebrate this special team alongside the hundreds of fans that joined us on the South Lawn.”
“Our time in our nation’s capital served as a great reminder of the core values that have brought our team so close together – sacrifice, selflessness, and discipline,” continued the statement.
Some players, specifically Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, have received criticism for choosing to attend the celebration and other events with Trump while in Washington, D.C.
Barkley posted on social media on Monday morning to call out those who were criticizing his time with Trump.
lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. 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 ! Now ya get out my…
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 28, 2025
“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,” he wrote.
Although the majority of the Eagles’ roster was at the White House, a few players were unable to attend.
The following Eagles players choose not to attend the celebration:
- Jalen Hurts
- AJ Brown
- DeVonta Smith
- Jalen Carter
- Jordan Davis
- Brandon Graham
- Nolan Smith
- Zack Baun
- Nakobe Dean
- CJ Gardner Johnson
- Darius Slay
- Quinyon Mitchell
A White House official commented on the absences and confirmed to Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News that the players were unable to make the trip due to “scheduling conflicts,” though no details were provided about the specific conflicts.