Zach Ertz Rips Fox News' 'Propaganda' After Trump Cancels White House Visit

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz criticized Fox News' Tuesday coverage of President Donald Trump's cancellation of the Eagles' scheduled visit to the White House.

As seen in the following video, Fox News used still photos of Ertz and other players kneeling as part of its coverage:

In response, Ertz blasted Fox News and suggested the photos were meant to make it look like players were protesting during the national anthem when they were simply kneeling in prayer:

Following Ertz's tweet, Fox News issued the following statement:

"During our report about President Trump canceling the Philadelphia Eagles trip to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win, we showed unrelated footage of players kneeling in prayer. To clarify, no members of the team knelt in protest during the national anthem throughout regular or postseason last year. We apologize for the error."

Per CNN, a statement released Monday on Trump's behalf stated the visit was cancelled because "[The Eagles] disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country."

Trump later tweeted the following regarding the cancellation of the visit, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday:

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the Eagles planned to send a "smaller contingent" of players to the White House so as not to put players in a "tough spot" before the visit was ultimately called off.

Trump has been a major opponent of player protests during the national anthem, and although he recently praised the NFL's new policy that will fine teams if their players protest, he has criticized the idea that players can choose to remain in the locker room during the anthem.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins is among the NFL players who have protested during the anthem.

Defensive end Chris Long has often criticized Trump, and he did not attend the White House visit awarded to the New England Patriots last year following their Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Eagles defeated the Pats 41-33 in Super Bowl LII this year, which earned them a customary invite to the meet the president.

Following Trump's cancellation, the Eagles are now the second championship-winning major professional sports franchise to not visit the White House after the 2016-17 NBA champion Golden State Warriors were also uninvited.