Chris Long won’t be the only Philadelphia Eagles player who won’t go to the White House to visit President Donald Trump if they go on to win the Super Bowl. Wide receiver Torrey Smith has also voiced his intention to skip the traditional visit should the Eagles come out on top over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“We read the news just like everyone else,” Smith said per Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. “You see Donald Trump tweet something … We have those conversations in the locker room, just like everyone else does in the workplace. We're very informed about what goes on, and we're trying to continue to educate ourselves. It's pretty special to have a group like that of folks that aren't just socially conscious, but folks who genuinely care about people and care about learning more.
“I'm not saying we're right about everything, but we're willing to figure out what is right. We're willing to work with people to find the best way to move forward, because there are problems and we're not shy about speaking up about them.”
Smith has also been actively doing his part to explain NFL players’ kneeling during the national anthem, which has been subject to intense political controversy. He stresses that they are not protesting the anthem, only during the anthem. He is also a big supporter of Colin Kaepernick, who was his teammate with the San Francisco 49ers.
Article Continues BelowSmith and Long likely aren’t the only ones in the Eagles locker room who will opt not to go to D.C. if they win. The current political climate is such that there figure to be more than a handful of their teammates who feel the same way.
It should be noted that Smith has already made that White House trip before when the Baltimore Ravens won in 2013, so at least he ‘s had that experience ticked off his bucket list.