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Jalen Hurts and several Philadelphia Eagles team-mates players skipped a reception with US President Donald Trump at the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.<\/b><\/p>\n
Star quarterback Hurts, 26, and other players had “scheduling conflicts”, a White House official said. <\/p>\n
The invitation was optional for players to attend, and less than half the team showed up on Monday. <\/p>\n
Philadelphia beat the the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> 40-22 in New Orleans in February. <\/p>\n Despite Hurts’ absence, Trump praised the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player as a “terrific guy and terrific player”. <\/p>\n “[The] Eagles have turned out to be an incredible team, an incredible group,” he added. <\/p>\n American broadcaster NBC reported other players who did not attend included AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Brandon Graham.<\/p>\n In 2018, following their first Super Bowl victory, Philadelphia’s White House visit was cancelled<\/a> after most players decided to stay away.<\/p>\n A the time, there was still ongoing debate surrounding the kneeling protests which began in 2016, although the team never confirmed this was the reason for their absence. <\/p>\n