Several notable Eagles skip White House visit; Trump honors 'incredible' team

Unlike the last time they won the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles visited the White House to celebrate their championship.

But, still, less than half the team showed up.

Philadelphia earned the invitation to the White House by beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, 40-22.

It was optional for Eagles players and staffers to attend. According to All City PHLY, 32 Eagles attended Monday's ceremony with President Donald Trump. Among the notable players missing, according to media reports, were quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts -- who it was confirmed by White House officials had a "scheduling conflict" -- wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, linebacker Zach Baun, defensive ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

Running back Saquon Barkley was there and golfed with Trump the previous day. He tried to fend off criticism on social media, posting "lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. 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 of my mentions with all this politics and have (an) amazing day."

Head coach Nick Sirianni and right tackle Lane Johnson led Trump to the stage with Dom DiSandro, the team's senior adviser to the general manager/chief security officer/director of gameday coaching operations, speaking first, followed by safety Reed Blankenship, Johnson, Sirianni and owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Trump praised Hurts, saying he's a "terrific guy and terrific player" and noted the "Eagles have turned out to be an incredible team, an incredible group."

The Eagles were just the second NFL team to visit the White House with Trump as president, the other being New England in 2017. Philadelphia won the Super Bowl the next season but after the vast majority of players indicated they wouldn't attend, Trump rescinded the invitation to the team.

"Today, the Eagles were honored to participate in the long-standing tradition of visiting the White House to celebrate our victory in Super Bowl LIX," Lurie said in a statement. "We are grateful for the hospitality we were extended and appreciate the opportunity to celebrate this special team alongside hundreds of fans that joined us on the South Lawn."

The team also visited Arlington National Cemetery.

"Our time in our nation's capital served as a great reminder of the core values that brought our team so close together -- sacrifice, selflessness and discipline," Lurie said.

--Field Level Media