U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled a visit from the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LII win after they offered to send “a small delegation.”
But Trump isn’t satisfied with just a part of the NFL team, saying the fans who plan to attend the event on Tuesday “deserve better.”
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” a statement read, which Trump released on Monday.
“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.”
Trump has continued a feud with NFL players who have protested racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling while the national anthem was played at games.
He had repeatedly called the practice disrespectful.
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‘I think the owners should do something about it’: Trump on NFL players kneeling during anthem
He said the anthem will be played “loudly and proudly” at a ceremony on Tuesday.
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“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” the statement continued.
“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. “
The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. ET.
The NFL recently took a hard stance against the protest as it now requires all players and personnel to “stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem” or face a fine.
The policy was announced on May 23.
“It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time.
Of the Eagles, many have said they won’t go to the White House.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins, who raised a fist during the anthems at games in 2017, told WTXF-TV that he wouldn’t be going.
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“Some guys have dreamed about winning a championship and taking that trip to the White House and we’re not going to deny that to anybody. But there are also a lot of guys who are passionate about not going,” he said.
Defensive end Chris Long used to play for the New England Patriots when they won last year’s Super Bowl – he didn’t attend a White House visit last year when they won.
Other players who have said they aren’t going include Torrey Smith and Brandon Graham.
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