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The White House pointed the finger at the Philadelphia Eagles following President Donald Trump's decision to cancel Tuesday's ceremony to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that team owner Jeffrey Lurie was expected to join a small contingent on the South Lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. before the White House rescinded the invitation on Monday night, less than 24 hours before the scheduled ceremony.
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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Tuesday that the Eagles initially notified the White House on May 31 that 81 individuals would attend the event.
The Eagles attempted to reschedule the event late Friday, according to Sanders, but Trump was slated to travel overseas on the team's proposed dates for a ceremony.
"The White House, despite sensing a lack of good faith, nonetheless attempted to work with the Eagles over the weekend to change the event format that could accommodate a smaller group of players," Sanders said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today.
"In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans."
Trump opted to change the scheduled event to a celebration of the American flag, with the Eagles fans cordially invited.
"The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better," Trump said in a statement on Monday night. "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.
"I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America."
The Eagles have yet to respond to Tuesday's statement from the White House.
They appeared to take the high road in their statement released Monday night, as they elected to go without mentioning the Commander-in-Chief or the White House.
"It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship," the team said in a statement. "Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season."
