Trump Disinvites Philadelphia Eagles From White House Super Bowl Celebration

President Donald Trump rescinded an invitation for the Philadelphia Eagles to visit the White House on Tuesday to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.

They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country, Trump said in a statement. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.

He said the fans would still be welcome at the White House on Tuesday but for a different ceremony meant to honor our great country and pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it.

HuffPost has reached out to the Eagles for comment.

Trump later clarified that the event was canceled after only a small number of players decided to come. White House officials told The New York Times fewer than 10 planned to attend.

The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!

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The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018

Several Eagles players, including safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive end Chris Long, had said they would skip the ceremony due to ongoing attacks by the president against players that had knelt on the field in protest. Other players had waffled on their participation. Eagles officials had left the decision up to the players .

Some NFL players quickly took to social media to challenge the presidents assertion. Former Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith, who played for the team during the Super Bowl, accused the White House of spreading a false narrative and said no one had refused the invitation simply because Trump insists folks stand for the anthem.

The men and women that wanted to go shouldve been able to go, Smith wrote . Its a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people dont want to see you. To make it about the anthem is foolish.

So many lies smh
Here are some facts
1. Not many people were going to go
2. No one refused to go simply because Trump insists folks stand for the anthem
3. The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti military pic.twitter.com/89GUNhJ4eE

Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) June 4, 2018","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Torrey Smith","author_url":"https://twitter.com/TorreySmithWR","cache_age":86400,"description":"So many lies smh Here are some facts 1. Not many people were going to go2. No one refused to go simply because Trump insists folks stand for the anthem 3. 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So many lies smh
Here are some facts
1. Not many people were going to go
2. No one refused to go simply because Trump insists folks stand for the anthem
3. The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti military pic.twitter.com/89GUNhJ4eE
Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) June 4, 2018

The #Eagles never stayed in the Locker room for the anthem nor did they take a knee during the 2017 regular season. Dont let this man lie to you. An Eagles player did however donate his ENTIRE salary towards fighting injustice.

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The #Eagles never stayed in the Locker room for the anthem nor did they take a knee during the 2017 regular season. Dont let this man lie to you. An Eagles player did however donate his ENTIRE salary towards fighting injustice.
Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) June 5, 2018

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said he, too, would skip the ceremony after Trumps announcement, saying he was proud of the team while lambasting the White House for pulling a political stunt. He issued his own invitation to the Eagles tour the Capitol instead.

The NFL said last month that players would be required to stand during the national anthem or face punishment, although they will be allowed to remain in the locker room during pregame ceremonies if they choose. Teams could be fined if their players sit or kneel on the field, as many have done in recent months in protest of police brutality and racial injustice.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had roundly criticized such kneeling and used the protests to attack players as unpatriotic, at times calling for a boycott of the NFL.

It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the move last month. This is not and was never the case. This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.

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Eagles players issued their own criticism of the new league policy, including Long, who said it was not patriotism.

This is fear of a diminished bottom line . Its also fear of the president turning his base against a corporation, the defensive end wrote on Twitter at the time.

This article has been updated throughout with comments from Sen. Bob Casey and background on the protests.