There’s an old saying that goes something along the lines of “politics don’t have any place in a locker room” … or something like that.
It’s an age old warning to professional athletes to keep their opinions about anything outside the realm of winning games to themselves.
At best, it’s a a way to keep team chemistry on an even keel. At worst, it’s a way to silence groups of minorities — approximately 53 percent of NFL players are Black — who want to effect change in their communities.
Sometimes, though, people can make political statements with their actions alone.
Former Philadelphia Eagles safety and 2-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins recently praised Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts for his decision to skip the team’s visit to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump.
“The team had framed the White House visit as optional,” Jenkins wrote in a Substack column on April 28. “But leadership is never optional. “When you’re the quarterback — the face of the team — your presence, or your absence, always says something. By choosing not to go, Jalen didn’t just make a personal decision. He made a public one.”
Jenkins understands the repercussions from making this type of decision firsthand, as he found himself at the center of a political and cultural milestone when faced with the same choice 7 years ago.
Jenkins Chose Not to Visit White House in 2018
Jenkins was a safety on the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team following the 2017 season and chose not to visit the White House with his team during Trump’s first term. It was a decision that ultimately got the whole team disinvited.
Jenkins played 14 seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Eagles. He was named NFL All-Pro in 2010 and was a 3-time Pro Bowler.
After the Eagles routed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9, the White House visit became a hot topic of debate — and the biggest question being whether the Eagles’ highest paid player would be there.
Hurts signed a 5-year, $255 million contract extension in 2023.
“After the Eagles Super Bowl victory in 2018, Jenkins, alongside many other key players, made the decision to decline Trump’s invitation to the White House,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ariel Simpson wrote on April 29. “This, of course, led to the entire team’s invitation being rescinded. After how things went down in 2018, the Eagles’ visit to the White House became a major topic of discussion after the team won its second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.”
Hurts’ Decision Not Reflected by Some Teammates
While Hurts received praise for his decision not to visit the White House, one of his teammates received criticism for his decision to embrace the trip to visit the President.
Eagles running back and NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley spent 1 on 1 time with President Trump and his family ahead of the visit, including a golf outing with Trump in Bedminster, N.J., and a ride to the White House with Trump on Air Force One.
Barkley addressed the blowback on his official X account on April 28.
“lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” Barkley wrote. “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.”
