Jalen Hurts breaks silence on Donald Trump snub after Eagles White House visit
Hurts, Philly's Super Bowl MVP as they beat the Chiefs in February, was one of several Eagles players to skip out on meeting President Donald Trump because of 'scheduling conflicts' as NBC News's Yamiche Alcindor reported at the time.
And this week, the quarterback expanded upon his decision to not attend the April 28 trip.
'I wasn't available,' he told reporters. 'I don't think that's pertinent. Everyone who went, and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.'
Hurts was far from the only Eagles star to miss the trip, as the likes of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jalen Carter were also not in attendance.
All told, NBC Sports' John Clark said that less than half of the team's starters were there.
Hurts gave a pretty strong clue ahead of the White House visit that he would not be in attendance, as he was asked during an interview with TIME if he was planning on going to DC for the trip.
His teammate Saquon Barkley spent time with President Trump before and during the visit
'Ermmmm,' he said before staying silent, prompting an abrupt and awkward end to the interview.
Meanwhile, star running back Saquon Barkley, offensive lineman Lane Johnson and head coach Nick Sirianni were among those in attendance, as well as owner Jeffrey Lurie and chief security officer and senior advisor to the GM 'Big' Dom DiSandro.
Barkley even spent time with Trump at his Trump National golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey during the weekend propr and traveled with the President on Marine One.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who also attended, insisted beforehand that every player would be given the choice of whether to attend or not.
'Our culture is that these are optional things,' Lurie said. 'If you want to enjoy this, come along and we'll have a great time and if you don't, it is totally an optional thing.'
The Eagles' visit to the White House this year comes after the team did not make the trip after winning Super Bowl LII 2018.
That time, after defeating the Patriots, it had emerged that only a handful of players were planning to attend. Trump, then in his first term as president, proceeded to cancel the visit.
The Eagles' hesitancy to attend in that instance came after Trump took aim at players who had protested during the national anthem, a group of players which included Eagles Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.
However, Trump enjoyed a more positive relationship with the league's players this past season, as the likes of Brock Bowers, Calvin Ridley and Nick Bosa did the 'Trump dance ' during games.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump on Hispanic farm workers: ‘They don't get a bad back, because if they get a bad back, they die'
Donald Trump has raised eyebrows with comments he made about farm laborers during a phone interview with CNBC. The President spoke on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, explaining his belief that deported immigrant farm employees are not easy to replace with native-born workers. Farmers have been left short of staff due to the Trump administration's ICE round-ups of undocumented migrants. Trump suggested people who live 'in the inner city' are 'not doing that [farm] work' but Hispanic migrants do it 'naturally'. He then launched into a story about a conversation he had once had with a farmer. Trump says he asked, "What happens if they get a bad back?" to which the farmer allegedly responded, "They don't get a bad back, sir, because if they get a bad back, they die".
The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
NWSL says it has ‘no duty of care' for women suing San Diego Wave over assault claims
In a filing last month, the National Women's Soccer League denied all allegations contained in a lawsuit brought by former San Diego Wave employees and called for the suit to be 'dismissed in its entirety,' claiming that the league has 'no duty of care' to the six women suing the club and the league. The 2024 suit contains allegations of sexual assault of an employee by a co-worker while both employed at the club, along with claims of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, disability discrimination, failure to investigate and prevent harassment and discrimination. In the answer to the allegations filed on 8 July to the Superior Court of California in San Diego, the NWSL's legal representatives, Los Angeles firm Arentfox Schiff, deny that the six former Wave employees were 'damaged or harmed' because of any act of the league. The NWSL's lawyers claim 'the doctrine of consent,' inferring that the sexual assault and harassment claims were based on consensual encounters, and also that certain allegations are beyond California's statute of limitations. The NWSL's defense also claims it had no duty of care to San Diego Wave employees as any incidents that occurred were between the individuals and the club – not the league. According to legal experts interviewed by the Guardian, the NWSL's response to the lawsuit is a catch-all answer that aims to cover all possible angles of defense. 'The defendant has simply listed every affirmative defense that could apply to any of the claims,' said Professor David Oppenheimer, clinical professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. 'The common term for such an answer is 'boilerplate.' The purpose is to preserve any conceivable defense.' An NWSL spokesperson said the league could not comment on pending litigation. Arentfox Schiff did not respond to requests for comment and clarification. The six women who filed the lawsuit include one who claims she was sexually assaulted by a San Diego Wave co-worker, another who claims she was sexually harassed by the same co-worker, and Brittany Alvarado, a former videographer for the Wave, claiming workplace-related violations. Three other women are named in the suit for similar alleged violations. Alvarado brought attention to the workplace environment at San Diego Wave after she posted on social media in 2024 that the 'NWSL must take immediate action to remove Jill Ellis from both the San Diego Wave and the league entirely.' Ellis, the former USWNT head coach, was Wave president at the time of the events alleged in the lawsuit and had a hands-on role in managing the club. Ellis has since departed San Diego to take a senior role at Fifa as its chief football officer. Ellis is not a defendant in the lawsuit but is named within it, described as having 'set an abusive and toxic workplace culture' and 'once asking random men in Kansas City about their penises'. (Ellis has filed a separate defamation suit against Alvarado based on her social media post.) The Guardian previously revealed that a 2024 investigation by the NWSL into San Diego Wave management found that the club's front office 'could have done more' to address a sexual assault allegation but found no specific issue with how the claim was handled because the alleged victim did not use the term 'sexual' when describing her experience. The San Diego Wave is a co-defendant in the case with the NWSL. As reported by the Guardian, Jane Doe 1 alleges that a night out in San Diego with a co-worker led to 'inappropriate activities including a game of 'Sexy Jenga' that led to him pressuring her into non-consensual sexual acts'. Jane Doe 1 alleges that later at her apartment, while she was drunk, she was pressured into 'sexual activity that she explicitly stated she did not consent to'. The NWSL's defense argues that consent was given. Under California law, consent requires an individual to freely give agreement to engage in sexual activity 'and voluntarily and have knowledge of the nature of the act or transaction involved.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Another woman, 'Jane Doe 2', alleged in the lawsuit she was sexually harassed by the same San Diego Wave employee who this time sent her non-work related messages and images via Snapchat that became increasingly sexual in nature. Jane Doe 2 claims she was terminated by the club after she did not work the minimum number of shifts in her non-full-time role – shifts that were assigned by the alleged harasser. 'In a negligence case, consent is a potential defense when the plaintiff has agreed to participate in an activity knowing that there are significant risks of harm, and willing to subject themselves to them,' Oppenheimer said. 'The best examples come from sports, but for the athletes … In this case, for the statutory claims under the civil rights laws, there is no defense of consent.' Oppenheimer offered a hypothetical scenario for the NWSL to launch a successful defense: '[The] defendant proves that as each employee was hired they were warned, 'You need to know that this is a toxic workplace. We permit emotional and sexual harassment, we retaliate against people who complain, and we fire people in bad faith. If you don't want to subject yourself to this, don't work here.' That might be enough to defend themselves on the negligent hiring and management claim, but it would subject them to liability on the statutory discrimination claims.' The defense also claims the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs delayed bringing the lawsuit and that a two-year statute of limitations under California law should be enforced. The earliest claims made in the case took place in mid-2022. The suit was filed in October of 2024. The NWSL's lawyers cite a section of California code of civil procedure stipulating that there is a two-year statute of limitations to sue for 'An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.' California law stipulates elsewhere that there is a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal sexual assault claims (the NWSL case in question is civil). The NWSL claims it cannot be held accountable for events described in the lawsuit because they fall outside the relationship between the league and the Wave. The league claims it did not know the incidents occurred nor should it have known. The former San Diego Wave employees have requested a trial by jury.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump soars to new HEIGHTS and climbs roof for bird's eye view of White House makeover
President Donald Trump appeared at an unusual spot on Tuesday - the West Wing roof - as he hinted there could be more White House renovations up his sleeve. The president brought an entourage with him and stepped outside the White House residence onto the roof of the Palm Room and the press briefing room - a single-story portion of the West Wing that overlooks the newly revamped Rose Garden. 'Sir, why are you on the roof?' a reporter yelled to the president. 'Mr. President, what are you doing up there?' another journalist asked. Trump gave his trademark fist pump. 'Taking a little walk,' he replied. He noted that the planned White House ballroom would be on the other side of the residence, as there are plans to add 90,000 square feet to the current East Wing, where first lady Melania Trump has her offices. He then hinted that he could add something on top of where he was standing, making a domed gesture with his hands. 'Something beautiful,' he said. 'More ways to spend my money. We'll show you. It's just another way to spend my money for the country.' President Donald Trump is seen shouting to reporters from the roof of the West Wing over where the White House press briefing room is located 'Anything I do is financed by me so you don't have to worry, it's contributed,' he continued. 'Just like my salary is contributed but nobody ever mentions that.' Trump continued his tour and then was asked about his plans for the West Wing roof yet again. He joked that he was building 'nuclear missiles' on the roof. He then stepped back into the residence. Trump's appearance on the roof comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday that the ballroom project was a go. Construction on the East Wing will begin in September, she said, with the expected cost to be around $200 million. Trump said he would finance all or part of the ballroom project, with the rest given by donors. The Rose Garden project is also coming to a close. Asked by the Daily Mail on Sunday how he thought it turned out, Trump said the project had received 'great reviews.' 'Yeah, we're getting great reviews of the Rose Garden and we had to do it,' the president said. 'When we had a press conference you'd sink into the mud. It was grass and it was very wet, always wet and damp and wet, and if it rained it would take three, four, five days to dry out and we couldn't use it really for the intended purpose,' he continued. The president took out the Rose Garden's grassy center, making it more patio-like instead. 'And it's a beautiful white stone and it's a stone that's the same color as the White House itself,' Trump said. 'And because it's very white it's going to reflect the heat and it's not going to be very hot.' The patio's drainage system resembles the American flag and the presidential seal has been stamped in the corners of the patio. Since taking office in January, Trump has also erected two large American flags on the White House campus, on both the North and South Lawn.
