Philadelphia Eagles: Were we really banking on a White House visit?

By now, we’ve all heard the news of the Philadelphia Eagles mulling over a White House visit despite some comments by players and the owner, but we haven’t learned anything we didn’t already know, did we?

Three days before the 2018 NFL Draft, we stopped talking about the 32nd pick for a moment. We stopped talking about possible trades and the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles have never picked last in the first round before. Three days before the NFL Draft, much of the talk about ‘The Birds’ centered around the first-ever Super Bowl victory in team history.

Not only that, the focus shifted to the subsequent invitation to the White House. It’s a long-time tradition and customary gesture that comes with being the best football team in the world.

The only problem is there’s a certain Commander in Chief that’s split the country right down the middle like no other President of the United States that’s preceded him. Some of ‘The Birds’ simply just don’t want to go.

Here’s what’s been going on (just in case you’ve missed it).

Typically, when we turn the calendar from Winter to Spring, we can expect to see the NFL’s current Super Bowl Champion shaking hands with the President. April is almost over, and there’s been no sign of the Eagles.

Why? Some of it’s related to what happened earlier this season. President Donald Trump referred to demonstrating players as ‘sons of bitches’ and urged the NFL owners to fire them. Malcolm Jenkins, defensive end Chris Long and wide receiver Torrey Smith have already said they wouldn’t visit the White House if invited.

The Eagles, as a whole, haven’t completely stopped considering the offer. This according to Ian Rapoprt’s ‘Rap Sheet’. Take a look:

#Eagles are in contact with the White House regarding a visit. “We are honored to receive this invitation and view this not only as an opportunity to be recognized for our achievements, but also as an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue with the leaders of our country."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2018

The fallout came quickly.

Even with all of that being said, almost three months have passed since Philly took the Lombardi Trophy, and with the draft on the horizon, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll make the journey to D.C. prior to the end of April. That’s if they make the journey at all.

A recent report by the New York Times sheds some light on why this may be the case. Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie is known to be a very public supporter of Hillary Clinton and one of the openly Liberal owners in the league. He also hasn’t been shy about his support for Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and the stance he took prior to each game during the National Anthem.

Lurie’s also has had no qualms about voicing his displeasure with what we’ve seen so far from President Donald Trump’s administration either.

Take a gander:

"(Here’s) another fact I want to throw out there. Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump. Yes, there are some. There are some players who do, too, but this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one disastrous (explitive) presidency."

Then, there’s ‘the new norm’.

More from Inside the Iggles

When all of us heard Eagles head coach Doug Pederson mention the term ‘new norm’, we all originally thought he simply meant playing football in April. We’ve since learned that it means more than that.

The ‘new norm’ is about the work it takes to get to football’s biggest game. ‘The new norm’ isn’t simply a game on the Eagles’ schedule. It’s a culture. More specifically, it’s one that’s been created by Coach Pederson and company. It’s about the solidarity and brotherhood that we saw all season. It’s about limiting distractions. Then again, that isn’t completely all there is to it.

It’s about Long placing his hand on Jenkins back while Jenkins raises a fist in the air to protest injustice. Might it stand to reason that a White House visit represents the type of distraction that the Eagles intend to avoid?

Next: 5 Needs the Eagles must address in the 2018 NFL Draft

With that being said, should we be surprised that Philly hasn’t rushed to a decision about shaking the hand of a President that’s been so divisive? Should we be surprised if the Eagles never make the journey to The White House at all?

It’s definitely worth thinking about.

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