President Trump has disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles from visiting the White House on Tuesday. A trip to meet with the current president is part of the traditional honor for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
In a statement released Monday, Trump said that he’s rescinding the invitation because the Eagles players “disagree with their president” who “insists that they proudly stand for their national anthem.”
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” the statement read. “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.”
The cancellation came after several players — including Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins — had said that they would not visit the White House following their Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots last February.
The White House announcement went on to say that the fans who were scheduled to attend are still invited to a “different type of ceremony,” which according to the statement will “honor our great country.”
“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better. These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America,” the statement from Trump read.
Trump has publicly condemned NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem before games last season, calling on them to be fired.
A representative for the Philadelphia Eagles did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.