Total Pro Sports
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has offered an explanation for his absence after skipping the team’s visit to the White House last month.
The Eagles made the trip to Donald Trump’s official residence on April 28 following their Super Bowl win earlier this year. Once they got there, the president praised them for their impressive season and talked up their famous “tush push” play.
Brown and a few other teammates, including fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts, did not attend.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the wideout insisted that his decision not to go had nothing to do with politics but resulted from something personal he was experiencing with his family.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” he said, according to Eagles reporter Jeff McLane. “It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything. I just had something personal going on with my family.”
A.J. Brown on not attending the White House: I had a personal thing to attend to. It had nothing to do with politics. pic.twitter.com/tloiqexFck
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) May 20, 2025
Players are not obligated to visit the White House after a Super Bowl win; it is optional. Teams are also not required to. Eagles owner Jeff Lurie made that clear amid rumors that the team would rebuff an invitation if it came.
There was a bit of drama between the Eagles and the White House, with reports claiming the NFC outfit spurned an invite and the WH claiming they never sent one. The team eventually made it known that, should one come, they would oblige. And, sure enough, one came.
Several players opted not to tag along, which was their right, including AJ Brown.
The WR did not owe reporters an explanation, but he’s given them one anyway. They’re going to have to do with that.
