Eagles attend the White House Super Bowl ceremony, but without some key players

WASHINGTON — The fact that a mere “um” uttered by the quarterback was of more than passing interest signaled that the Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House wasn’t going to be the typical winners-go-to-Washington photo opportunity.

And it wasn’t. The first person that President Donald Trump summoned to the podium during the ceremony on Monday under a pristine April blue sky wasn’t the owner, coach or a future Hall of Famer, but “Big Dom” DiSandro, the Eagles’ legendary director of security, whom he hailed as a supporter.

Trump also weighed in on a controversy — albeit unrelated to the immigration order he was due to sign later in the day that could have financial impacts on Philadelphia. He endorsed the Eagles’ patented “Tush Push,” which the NFL might ban.

As it turned out, a central Tush Push figure, quarterback Jalen Hurts — who got a shout-out from Trump anyway — was among the players who had “scheduling conflicts” and passed on the opportunity to meet the president.

Conversely, Eagles superstar Saquon Barkley opted to run with it.

Generating buzz that rivaled the reaction to his backward leap over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender in November — referenced by Trump during the ceremony — Barkley golfed with Trump on Sunday and flew on Air Force One to Washington in advance of the ceremony.

Barkley became a target of outrage on social media, with one media critic suggesting that the running back’s head had wandered into the wrong part of his anatomy.

But Barkley blithely respond on X, “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with [former President Barack] Obama not too long ago.”

The Eagles represent a city in which 80% of those who cast ballots in the November election voted against Trump.

Philadelphia also has traditionally been a so-called “sanctuary city,” and the visit coincided with what was a major immigration-enforcement-themed day at the White House.

Following the Eagles celebration, Trump signed an executive order directing the Homeland Security and the Attorney General’s offices to identify “sanctuary jurisdictions” that they deem obstruct federal immigration enforcement. Those cities or counties could see federal funding pulled or face lawsuits.

Given that the definition of “sanctuary” has varied, it was unclear how the administration would determine which places fit the category.

On Monday morning, large posters with the mug shots of undocumented immigrants who have been arrested or deported were plastered across the White House lawn.

At a news conference, reporters were handed large packets of 100 Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests with details on the people detained and the crimes they were accused or convicted of.

ICE head Tom Homan touted the drop in border crossings and tamp down on illegal immigration. There also was a brief mention of the celebration to come.

“The president is welcoming the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, “if we have any Philly fans.”

They did show up later for the actual celebration.

As the event was getting started, the Marine Band played the Rocky theme (what else?). The crowed included a real-life Rocky, Vince Papale, a former Eagles player who became a folk hero. Also in the crowd were Mehmet Oz, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, Kellyanne Conway, and a noticeable lack of Democrats.

Earlier in the day, the Eagles’ entourage toured National Arlington Cemetery and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It was not immediately clear how many players besides Hurts passed up the trip, but among notable absentees were wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and the retiring Brandon Graham, who spent his entire career with the Eagles.

Among those who gave brief remarks were longtime Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and six-time all-pro offensive lineman Lane Johnson.

In endorsing the Tush Push, in which the quarterback gets pushed from behind the surging offensive line when a team needs short yardage, Trump said, “I hope they keep that play.”

Hurts had been sheepish about his plans. Asked Thursday at the Time 100 event if he would participate in the ceremony, he answered with an evasive “um,” and moved to end the interview.

After the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship in 2018, the Eagles became what is believed to be the first NFL title winner to have a White House invitation rescinded after several players spoke critically of Trump.

In his remarks on Monday, Lurie recalled how, when he was a kid, he enjoyed seeing Super Bowl-winning teams visit the White House.

He added that he never dreamed that his turn would come.

John Killion, a Floridian and Mayfair expatriate, managed to score a ticket to the event thanks to his son, who had worked on the Trump campaign in Bucks County. He praised Lurie, who has been a generous donor to Democratic candidates.

“I know he isn’t politically aligned with Trump, but I’m glad he saw past it,” Killion said. “Some of us are Trump, and some aren’t, but this is a special thing for us to see our team and our fans ... at the White House. It doesn’t happen that often.”

Actually, this was the first time.