Malcolm Jenkins, Torrey Smith, Chris Long to Skip Donald Trump White House Visit

At least three members of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles won't attend the team's expected visit with Donald Trump at the White House as wide receiver Torrey Smith, defensive back Malcolm Jenkins and defensive lineman Chris Long are confirmed as expected absences.

Tim McManus of ESPN.com provided the update Wednesday and passed along comments from Smith about his decision to skip the traditional NFL championship celebration.

"Going to the White House should be seen as an honor, and I believe it is an honor, but to me it has to be an honor with the right type of respect in office. I just don't see it," he said. "It's not about politics; I just don't think the president is a good person. I don't want to go out of my way to go see someone who isn't even welcoming the men in this locker room and our different cultures."

Jenkins added he's planning to "opt out of the photo opportunity," but wouldn't oppose holding a more substantive discussion about the topics he's protested against in recent seasons, per McManus.

"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," he said. "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."

Meanwhile, Long is going to skip the White House trip for the second straight year after doing so with the New England Patriots in 2017.

"No, I'm not going to the White House," Long said on the Pardon My Take podcast last month. "Are you kidding me?"

Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston noted last April exactly half of the Patriots players invited—34 of 68—made the trip to the White House.

Trump previously withdrew the NBA champion Golden State Warriors' invitation after Dubs superstar Stephen Curry expressed disinterest in the visit.

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA's gold standard for the past decade, responded with a Twitter message that received nearly 1.5 million likes:

Although the topic of skipping the White House visit has generated a lot of attention since Trump took office, there's a long history of players deciding against showing up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.