Eagles player says he’ll skip White House if team wins Super Bowl

Chris Long, a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles, says he won’t visit the White House if his team wins the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Long made the comments in an interview on Barstool Sports’ podcast “Pardon My Take.”

“No, I’m not going to the White House,” he said. “Are you kidding me?”

Long, who played for the New England Patriots last year, was one of several players who skipped a visit to President Trump’s White House after the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2017.

Trump has stirred tensions with the NFL this year by repeatedly criticizing players who kneel in protest during the national anthem. Many players have done so in protest of police brutality and racial inequality.

Trump at one rally called for NFL owners to fire any “son of a bitch” who kneels during the national anthem, prompting widespread conservative protests of NFL games. Vice President Pence walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game after players kneeled during the anthem on a trip that cost taxpayers more than $200,000.

Long has expressed support for the protests, putting his arm around one of his Eagles teammates who chose to kneel. He is from Charlottesville, Va., and after the violent white nationalist rally there last summer, he dedicated his entire 2017 salary to programs supporting educational equality in Charlottesville and other cities where he has played professionally.