Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley spent Sunday playing golf with President Donald Trump ahead of his team’s championship celebration at the White House on Monday. Some fans on social media weren’t happy about that.
Barkley responded to those critics on X on Monday, telling them to “get out my mentions with all this politics.”
Barkley tried to downplay the political implications of the golf get-together, saying he respects the office of the president. Barkley also pointed out that he has played golf with former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the past.
Advertisement
After spending Sunday golfing with Trump, a Republican, Barkley flew with the president from New Jersey to Washington, D.C. Barkley and the Eagles are in town to visit the White House as part of their championship celebration after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles are not the only pro team to have a championship celebration at the White House this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers met with Trump at the White House in April. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw gave Trump a No. 47 jersey at the event.
The Eagles are making the trip this time around after their previous championship celebration at the White House was canceled. Following the team’s Super Bowl win in 2017, the Eagles’ White House visit in 2018 was canceled due to low attendance. Trump was also the president at the time, and was feuding with the NFL over players taking a knee during the national anthem. The White House canceled the Eagles’ trip at the time and instead held its own celebratory ceremony.
While it’s unclear which Eagles will attend the White House event Monday, it appears there will be enough members there to hold the celebration this time around. Barkley will very likely be on the guest list. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was non-committal when asked about his attendance ahead of the event, but he — and other Eagles — will reportedly not make it due to a “scheduling conflicts.”
