Philadelphia Eagles stars Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown told reporters this week that politics didn’t impact their decision to skip the Super Bowl champions’ visit to President Trump’s White House last month.
At least 12 players opted out of the event, though none of them publicly voiced concerns about the president’s policies.
“I wasn’t available. I don’t think that’s pertinent,” Hurts told reporters on Tuesday, citing scheduling conflicts. “Everyone who went, and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
Brown gave a similarly vague answer on Tuesday.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” he said. “It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything. I just had something personal going on with my family.”
While Hurts and Brown skipped the event, star running back Saquon Barkley drew criticism for attending and playing a round of golf with Mr. Trump.
“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,” Barkley wrote on X. “Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”