The Philadelphia Eagles are officially headed to the White House to honor the customary tradition of meeting the President of the United States. After much speculation since their Super Bowl 59 victory in New Orleans, the decision has now been officially confirmed by a team spokesperson.
However, the date for the visit remained unclear until now. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has revealed the exact date the reigning Super Bowl champions will make their trip. After the 2018 controversy, this visit could make for an interesting moment, to say the least.
When Are the Philadelphia Eagles Visiting the White House?
During a routine press briefing, Leavitt addressed the ongoing speculation about the Eagles’ visit. The situation had dragged on for over a month since the Super Bowl, but she confirmed their trip would take place in nearly two months.
“April 28 — I can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles will be here at the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent, and we want to correct the record.”
Leavitt was referring to a POLITICO report that suggested: “The White House has not sent an official invitation to the Super Bowl LIX winner, the official confirmed.”
This report was a direct response to earlier claims that the Eagles had declined to make the trip. However, NFL reporter Albert Breer later clarified the situation.
“We would be honored to visit the White House. It’s one of the things we had looked forward to doing, and we look forward to receiving the invitation.”
The long-standing tradition, which began in 1979, appeared to be in jeopardy after the Eagles opted not to visit President Donald Trump following their Super Bowl 52 victory in 2018.
However, the 45th and 47th President confirmed that an invitation would be sent to head coach Nick Sirianni and his team.
“They will be; we haven’t yet, but we will be. I thought it was a great performance by them. Absolutely, they’ll be extended that invitation… We’ll do that right away. We’re going to do it sometime today. They deserve to be down here, and we hope to see them.”
Still, uncertainty remained, especially due to the conflicting reports. However, an official team spokesperson confirmed to CBS that the Eagles had enthusiastically accepted the invitation.
Now that the date is finalized, expect April 28 to be a celebratory day at the White House as the Eagles relish one final moment of victory before shifting their focus to next season.