Nick Foles (l) was reported to be among the Eagles' small contingent to visit with TrumpGETTY IMAGES
Eagles coach Doug Pederson this morning said that he was "'looking forward to going down' to Washington to visit the White House, but did not want to delve into details about the rescinded invitation or how many representatives the team planned on sending," according to Zach Berman of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Pederson "did not want to engage in a back-and-forth with the White House, nor did he want to offer the Eagles' version of the story." Pederson did not have an issue with "taking questions instead of Owner Jeffrey Lurie," and "did not think the fans needed an explanation or clarity from the team" (PHILLY.com, 6/6). He said, "What you've seen and what you've heard is enough. I'm not discussing it. The team is great. We're united. Our goal is 2018. It's over. It's behind us. We're moving on" (AP, 6/6).
HANDLING WITH CARE: The INQUIRER's Berman reports the Eagles' trip to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LII victory had been a "sensitive topic" well before it was canceled by President Trump. Lurie at league meetings in March "brushed off the question" when asked if the team would visit the White House. He said that the team "had not even discussed it." Even when the Eagles confirmed they would make the trip, the official public statements and quotes from Pederson "kept referring to how the team needed to figure out logistics." Players also were "hesitant to offer a firm answer about whether they were going." They either "avoided the question or said they were still deciding." It became a "much bigger story" after Trump rescinded the invitation, but it was "something that had been a sensitive topic behind the scenes for the Eagles" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/6). NFL Network's Mike Garafolo noted the Eagles initially submitted more than 80 names to the White House as possible participants in the visit "to clear for security reasons because they still weren't sure how many were going to go." Garafolo: "They never intended to have that many people go" ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 6/5). In Wilmington, Martin Frank writes there was "no way the Eagles were visiting the White House" yesterday after the NFL announced its new national anthem policy, and there was "no way that Trump wanted them to anyway." It is hard to "imagine him speaking about the anthem" with Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins and several other players "glaring over his shoulder" (Wilmington NEWS JOURNAL, 6/6).
EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE: POLITICO's Karni & Cadelago report the situation is "being portrayed by staffers in the West Wing" as the Eagles having "treated the White House very unfairly." White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a statement said that the Eagles last week "submitted 81 names of players and other personnel who were planning to visit the White House." The team on Monday told the White House that the the "delegation had been reduced" to just Lurie, two or three players and the team's mascot. One administration official said, "We feel like they wanted to publicly humiliate the White House and the president." Karni & Cadelago noted things "started to fall apart on Friday, when the team suggested alternate dates because players were dropping out" of the planned ceremony. However, the suggested dates are when Trump is scheduled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and "were seen, internally, as an attempt to get out of a photo-op" with Trump. The last-minute cancellation "took many White House staffers by surprise" (POLITICO.com, 6/5). In N.Y., Michael Shear writes Sanders during her daily press briefing yesterday "unloaded on the Eagles, flatly accusing them of engaging in what she repeatedly called 'a political stunt' by declining to attend the White House celebration at the last minute" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/6). In Atlantic CIty, David Weinberg writes the situation "really got out of hand" (PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY, 6/6). In Philadelphia, George Parry writes under the header, "Trump Absolutely Correct To Rescind Eagles' White House Invitation." If the "overwhelming majority of the team doesn’t want to accept the honor," then why should Trump have to "go forward with the ceremony after they have insultingly refused to attend?" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/6).
REPLACEMENT PLAYERS: In DC, Dana Milbank reports the "Celebration of America," the event that took the place of the Eagles' celebration, was "one of the oddest White House events in recent memory." Trump’s three-minute speech was "interrupted at the beginning by a heckler." Several people in the crowd "booed the heckler, but the confusion created the appearance that the president was being booed" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/6). In Philadelphia, Mike Sielski notes there "weren’t many" Eagles fans on the South Lawn for the ceremony. Many of the attendees were "men in their 20s and 30s, and they wore navy blue suits and ties, or navy blue blazers and khakis." One attendee said, “We’re all staffers.” Univ. of Wisconsin student Jenna Webster, an intern with the Republican National Committee, said that she had "received a mass email from the White House earlier in the day, inviting her to attend the event" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/6). The INQUIRER's Berman notes there was a "smattering of Eagles clothing among the guests," but that was the "only way of knowing that the Eagles were supposed to be appear with Trump" yesterday while the replacement event took place (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/6). A "handful of the attendees wore ties or hats with the team's logo, too, but most of the crowd did not show noticeable signs of cheering" for the Eagles. Several said that they "did not root for the team" (PENNLIVE.com, 6/5). Several young men held a Carson Wentz jersey and "shouted their team’s chant -- 'E-A-G-L-E-S! Eagles!' -- as they walked past the cordoned-off media." In DC, Ashley Parker notes the celebration "wasn’t really about the Eagles, or even football." Trump instead "turned the festivities into yet another political cudgel" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/6).
