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Former Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins praised Jalen Hurts for deciding to skip the White House visit after the Eagles won Super Bowl 59. The Eagles won their second Super Bowl ever in franchise history when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.
“The team had framed the White House visit as optional,” Jenkins, who retired from the NFL in March 2022, wrote in a Substack post about Monday’s visit. “But leadership is never optional. When you’re the quarterback — the face of the team — your presence, or your absence, always says something. By choosing not to go, Jalen didn’t just make a personal decision. He made a public one.”
Hurts wasn't the only Eagles player to skip out on the White House visit. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, and Zack Baun were also absent from the White House. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, head coach Nick Sirianni, and team owner Howie Roseman represented the leadership role of the team as other players joined in on the visit.
“None of it will be easy,” Jenkins continued. “He’s stepping into a territory where even the smallest misstep will be amplified … Leadership today isn’t just about leading a team. It’s about leading a conversation. And Jalen Hurts — whether he realizes it or not — just entered that conversation at the highest level.”
Jenkins continued to praise Hurts' decision and how it translates a different kind of leadership off the field.
“Jalen’s decision stands in opposition to a culture that often asks players to just ‘shut up and play.’ Instead, he’s choosing to lead — not just with his arm, but with his mind, his values, and his presence,” Jenkins added. “It’s a risk. But it’s also an opportunity to become something much bigger than a champion.”
Jenkins went on to reminisce about his own experience as an Eagle who decided not to participate at the Eagles' White House visit back in 2018 when Trump was president for his first term. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl against the New England Patriots 41-33.
“I don't want to take away from anybody's experience or make it a big distraction. It's a celebratory event, and I want the guys who choose to go or whatever to enjoy that,” Jenkins said in 2018. “Me personally, because it's not a meeting or a sit-down or anything like that, I'm just not interested in the photo op.”
“Over the last two years, I've been meeting with legislators, both Republican and Democrat, it don't matter. If you want to meet to talk about events in my community, changing the country, I'm all for that. But this isn't one of those meetings, so I'll opt out of the photo opportunity,” he added.
Jenkins continued to advocate for giving Hurts some support.
“If Jalen’s decision resonates with you, show him some love,” Jenkins said. “He’s going to need it — and I say that from experience. It’s easy to forget, in moments like this, just how heavy leadership can feel when the cameras are off and the headlines fade. A word of support, a moment of grace, can make a bigger difference than you realize.”
“It was disappointing, to say the very least but I understand that respect works both ways,” Jenkins wrote. “Each man has to walk his own path. But neutrality is not neutrality in times like these. And even silence becomes a statement.”
What Did The White House Say About Jalen Hurts Missing From Visit?
NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor announced on Monday (April 28) that Hurts and others would not be in attendance due to “scheduling conflicts.”
“A White House official confirms to me that @Eagles quarterback @JalenHurts will not be visiting the White House when the Super Bowl champions come later this afternoon,” Alcindor wrote in a post on X.
“The White House says Hurts and other players who can’t attend had ‘scheduling conflicts,'” she added.
A White House official confirms to me that @Eagles quarterback @JalenHurts will not be visiting the White House when the Super Bowl champions come later this afternoon. The White House says Hurts and other players who can’t attend had “scheduling conflicts.”
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) April 28, 2025
Hurts has not made a written or verbal statement about missing out on the White House visit. Trump on the other hand still praised Hurts for his ability on the field and his contributions to the Eagles' Super Bowl win noting that he is a “terrific guy and terrific player.”
