One of the conspicuous faces that was missing during the Philadelphia Eagles’ April 28 visit to the White House after their 2025 Super Bowl triumph was the team’s star quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
But during a press conference on Tuesday, Hurts, 26, explained to reporters that he was unable to join his teammates for their trip to Washington, D.C. because of a scheduling conflict, the New York Post reported.
“I wasn’t available,” Hurts stated. “I don’t think that’s pertinent. Everyone who went and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
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Besides Hurts, the Eagles’ wide receiver A. J. Brown was also noticeably absent from the trip. Brown, 27, similarly said his absence had nothing to do with politics, and it was due to personal reasons.
“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.”
Hurts’ explanation came after he gave a silent response when he was asked if he was going to honor the visit during a red carpet interview for the 2025 TIME 100 gala on April 24.
The Eagles’ visit to the White House also came after they opted not to honor that invitation when they won the Super Bowl in 2018. Donald Trump, who was president at the time, criticized their decision. But he took a different tone this time around and showered praises on the team during their visit.
Prior to their visit, Hurts and Brown’s teammate Saquon Barkley came under scrutiny after he was spotted hanging out with U.S. president Trump on April 27. Barkley, however, clapped back as he later took to social media to respond to the online backlash from his critics, Face2Face Africa reported.
Per CNN, Barkley spent time with Trump after the Philadelphia Eagles accepted a visit to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Barkley and Trump were spotted alighting from the Marine One in New Jersey and seemingly exchanging pleasantries while walking side by side.
“What a nice guy,” Trump, 78, said in reference to Barkley, 28, while speaking to reporters at the airport. “I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it.”
Trump and Barkley later made their way into the Air Force One. The pair were also spotted hanging out at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, per CNN.
After the photos and videos of the pair hanging out were circulated on social media, Barkley received backlash. But the 28-year-old defended his actions.
“Lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” he wrote on X. “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 ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
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