Ivanka Trump hits the NovaCare Complex, leaves a note for Eagles defender Eli Ricks
Ivanka Trump toured the NovaCare Complex Friday at the invitation of general manager Howie Roseman and Big Dom, the team's head of security.
The most surprising plot twist of Donald Trump’s second term in office might be his family’s sudden fondness for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The good vibes continued Friday with the Eagles welcoming Ivanka Trump, the president’s oldest daughter, to the NovaCare Complex.
Trump thanked Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head of security Domenico “Big Dom” DiSandro on social media Friday for giving her and her son, Theo, “an epic tour” of the team’s training facility.
The tour included photos with the team’s two Lombardi Trophies, a stop by Big Dom’s office, and a little flag football on the practice field with Theo’s teammates, who came along for the trip.
Trump also visited the locker of cornerback Eli Ricks, who was smitten by the president’s daughter at the White House last month. After the visit, Ricks wrote on social media, “After seeing her in person Ivanka is exactly my type.”
Unfortunately for Ricks, Trump is married to Jared Kushner, and the couple has three children together. But that didn’t stop her from leaving a playful note at his locker that said, “Stopped by to say hi! Sorry to miss you! Go Birds!”
After disinviting the Super Bowl champion Eagles from the White House in 2018, Trump was greeted fondly by several members of the team last month in Washington to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX win. The president was in the stands in New Orleans for the first half of the game, which had already turned into a blowout.
“The Eagles were really, it was like flawless football, amazing,” Trump said during an interview with Philly native Mark Levin on his radio show following the game. “Even the first play, they called it back. It was a long pass, it was, you know, either a touchdown or going to be a touchdown. They called it back, completed long pass, and they went on to get touchdown after touchdown. They really played great.”
While many Eagles players and coaches attended the ceremony, several high-profile players skipped the event, including Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“Our culture, these are optional things,” Eagles owner Jeff Lurie said prior to the White House visit. “If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time. And if you don’t, it’s totally an optional thing.”
Trump spent the day before with Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley, which included some golf at his club in Bedminster, N.J., and a flight on Air Force One. Barkley also spent time with Ivanka and Kushner at J.P. Morgan’s tech summit last month.
Barkley responded to critics over his decision to spend time with Trump without revealing any political beliefs, writing that his respect for the office of the president is “not a hard concept to understand.” He also pointed out he played golf recently with former President Barack Obama, which took place in October at Merion Golf Club at Lurie’s invitation.