Updated: 5:44 p.m.
We now know when at least some of the Eagles might be visiting the White House.
The Super Bowl champion Eagles have been invited to visit the White House on June 5, the team confirmed.
"We are in the process of working through the logistics of a trip to Washington D.C., including a visit to the White House, on June 5th," a team spokeman said in a statement to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"President Trump looks forward to welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House on June 5th to celebrate their Super Bowl LII win." - White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) May 17, 2018
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WPVI first reported the date of the invite on Thursday morning.
Last year, the Patriots visited the White House on April 19, 2017, so this trip will come considerably later. The real question becomes: How many Eagles will attend?
Several key players like Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long, Torrey Smith and Brandon Graham have already said they won't. On Thursday afternoon, Jenkins said his stance hadn't changed.
"We, as a team, are still kind of discussing what that looks like," Jenkins said to NBC Sports Philadelpia on Philly Sports Talk. "But visiting the White House is not something that I'm interested in doing at this time."
But based on the Eagles' statement, it seems like they might be planning more than just the customary photo op at the White House. Jenkins told NBC10 that he will be in Washington with his teammates but won't go to the White House. So it seems the Eagles might be planning something else as well.
There are plenty of folks who think players should just go to the White House for the experience. Jenkins obviously doesn't think so.
"At this point in time, there's so much that's been kind of swirling around that administration, I don't see it as beneficial at this moment in time to visiting in a celebratory fashion," Jenkins said. "But I know for a fact that there are other guys who have dreamt of the opportunity to go to the White House and I think they should have that opportunity. I think as a team, we're still discussing what exactly that looks like and we'll see."
Before Donald Trump became president, the White House visit was basically a nice photo opportunity that saw pretty good attendance. But for many Eagles, Trump represents a clashing of politics and ideology.
Another slight hurdle is the June 5 date. The Eagles are in their last round of voluntary OTAs during that time. The final round of OTAs runs from June 4-7, leading into the mandatory minicamp in mid-June. It's possible the Eagles could have practice in the morning and get to Washington in the afternoon, or vice versa.
Back on April 23, the Eagles released the following statement, saying they were working on the logistics of a visit:
"We have been in contact with White House representatives and are currently discussing the logistics of an upcoming visit to Washington. We are honored to receive this invitation and view this not only as an opportunity to be recognized for our on-field achievements, but also as an opportunity to engage in productive dialogue with the leaders of our country."
Now we know when (at least some of those Eagles) might go.
