Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown explain why they skipped the Eagles’ White House visit
“It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything,” Brown said. “I just had something personal going on with my family.”
After the Eagles’ White House visit was canceled in 2018 because of player opt-outs, the Birds finally got to Washington to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX win — minus a few notable players, including Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.
The White House blamed “scheduling conflicts” for the absences and said “the vast majority of the team” would be there. Ultimately, about 30 players appeared at the White House for the event on April 28, including Saquon Barkley, who flew to D.C. with President Donald Trump after playing golf with him, Lane Johnson, and Cooper DeJean.
Before the celebration, Hurts deflected a question asking if he planned to attend, inviting speculation that he was going to skip the visit. On Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex, the quarterback was brief in his explanation about why he wasn’t there.
“I wasn’t available,” Hurts said. “I don’t think that’s pertinent. Everyone who went and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
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Trump still praised Hurts, the Super Bowl MVP, at the White House celebration, even though Hurts was not present, calling him a “terrific guy and terrific player” who turned in “one stellar performance after another” in the playoffs.
Brown also cited personal reasons for not making it to the White House visit.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” Brown said. “It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything. I just had something personal going on with my family.”
The explanations were similar to those given by other players who skipped the visit, including former Eagles defensive backs Darius Slay, who also cited family reasons for not attending, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who joked that he didn’t want to put on a suit to attend.