Yesterday the Philadelphia Eagles defeated The New England Patriots at the Super Bowl (and rumor has it
Tom Brady's still crying). It was a victory for the underdogs, as the Eagles had never won the championship before. Meanwhile, the Patriots won in 2017, 2016, 2014 - basically every year since the Super Bowl started. Eagles fans were so thrilled they rioted in Philadelphia, storming the streets, climbing light poles and flipping over cars. Not sure why people riot after a victory, but hey, you do you, football fans.
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It's an exciting time for the players, who proved their athletic prowess, and can show off some sweet bling with that Super Bowl ring. Now they can celebrate by making a special trip - and no, not to DisneyWorld. It's tradition for the winning
Super Bowl team to visit The White House. However, Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long, and Torrey Smith said they will not attend the event.
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This isn't surprising news. President Trump congratulated the Eagles for their Super Bowl victory on Twitter, but in the past he's harshly criticized NFL players for
kneeling during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick was the first athlete to start the protest. Following a series of prominent acts of police brutality, in which African-Americans were senselessly killed by police officers, he said, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." Since then, countless athletes in various sports - including high school teams - have followed his lead.
However,
Donald Trump characterizes the protest as disrespectful to the American flag, and by proxy, military veterans. At one of his raucous rallies, he said, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now — he's fired'?" So, you can see the players are boycotting the event. I mean, would you want to hang out with someone who called you a "son of a bitch?"
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In an interview on CNN, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins explained why he isn't attending: "My message has been clear all year,” said Jenkins. "I’m about, you know, creating positive change in the communities that I come from, whether it be Philadelphia, New Jersey, Ohio, Louisiana, or this entire country. I want to see changes in our criminal justice system. I want to see us push for ... economic and educational advancement in communities of color and low-income communities. And I want to see our relationships between our communities and our law enforcement be advanced."
Last week Eagles receiver Torrey Smith told NJ.com that he'd skip the White House visit. Conservative pundits have branded NFL players "unpatriotic" for kneeling or raising a fist, so he's on on a crusade to explain the message "They call it the anthem protest," said Smith. "We're not protesting the anthem. It's a protest
during the anthem. I understand why people are mad, or may be offended when someone takes a knee. My father, when he dies, is going to be buried with an American flag draped around his casket, being that he served in the Army."
Last year defensive end Chris Long played for the Patriots, and boycotted the White House celebration. On the Pardon My Take podcast, he said he would not attend this year as well. "No, I'm not going to the White House," said Long. "Are you kidding me?"
Well, maybe if they're not going to visit the White House, Tom Brady could go in their place. He's pretty sad right now and could use some cheering up.
