Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts Didn't Join His Team for Their White House Visit

It's traditional for the champions of many major sports leagues to visit the White House to commemorate their victory, and the Philadelphia Eagles were no exception. The team visited the White House following their Super Bowl victory, but many key member of the team was notably absent.

Jalen Hurts, who won Super Bowl MVP, was one of several people who did not join his team at the White House, and many now want to know why. Here's what we know about why he skipped the visit.

Jalen was part of more than half of the team that decided against visiting the White House. The White House explained his absence by citing "scheduling conflicts," which was the excuse they had on hand for every member of the team who did not attend.

The Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl 40-22, and Trump praised the quarterback in spite of his absence, saying he was a "terrific guy and terrific player," per CNN.

He continued by calling the team "incredible." In addition to Jalen, other notable Eagles who did not attend the White House celebration included A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Brandon Graham.

In spite of the relatively poor attendance, the White House visit was still better attended than a similar ceremony in 2018, when the Eagles canceled their White House visit during Trump's first administration because most of the team didn't want to come.

Among the notable Eagles who did decide to make the trip to the White House was Saquon Barkley, the team's star running back. In addition to going to the White House, Saquon also played golf with the president.

“Lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” he wrote. “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!"

Trump, for his part, offered an endorsement of the Eagles' "tush push," a play that helps the team gain what seems like almost guaranteed yardage.

“I hope they keep that play, Coach. They’re talking about getting rid of that play, I understand. They should keep it,” Trump said on Monday. “I like it. It’s sort of exciting and different.”

While we don't know what Jalen's political beliefs might be, or what those of the rest of the team who did not attend are, it seems likely that they decided not to attend principally because they did not want to be associated with Trump and his administration. Whether that decision will affect the team's chemistry moving forward remains to be seen.