Hopefully , this will be the last time he has to address it .
Jalen Hurtsis doubling down on his reasoning for skipping out on meetingPresident Donald Trumpduring a celebratory White House visit last month.
After helping bring his team to victory for Super Bowl LIX, the star quarterback and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles were invited to top off their win with avisit to the White House. This is a longstanding tradition, dating back to the 19th century, where athletes of various sports are invited to meet the standing president after winning a championship game.
While some of the Eagles happily accepted the invitation…
…others opted out, including Jalen. In mid-April, whenaskedby a Time magazine reporter if he’d be attending on April 28, Jalen’s response — or lack thereof — garnereda lot of attention.
He didn’t say a word, but his facial expressions said it all.
Will Jalen Hurts visit the White House next week?pic.twitter.com / a82rZwnK0a
White House correspondent for NBC News, Yamiche Alcindor, later confirmed Jalen would not be attending due to “scheduling conflicts.”
But hewasn’t the only onewith other plans. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, C.J. Gardner Johnson, and Darius Slay Jr. were among the names of athletes who were not at the ceremony, per NBCreports.
But even though the moment has passed, the 26-year-old newlywed is still being asked about missing the event. During a recent press conference, Jalen was againaskedwhy he didn’t go to the White House, and he kept his answer short and to the point.
“I wasn’t available," Jalen said. “I don’t think that’s pertinent. Everyone who went and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
And people are loving his response:
You can watch the full clip below:
Jalen Hurts asked why he did n’t go to the White House : “ I was n’t available . I do n’t think that ’s pertinent . Everyone who hold up , and was useable , they seemed to enjoy themselves.”pic.twitter.com/mLbvuyyqVh