The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl yesterday, beating the New England Patriots 41-33. It was a victory that has been a long time coming for the City of Brotherly Love, and the streets were filled with rejoicing fans immediately after the game was called.
There was also an underlying political element to the matchup. The Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady is known for his close relationship with Donald Trump, meaning a lot of people were rooting for the Eagles out of an oblique dislike of the president.
Torrey Smith, a wide receiver for the Eagles, previously stated that he would not visit the White House if his team won the championship. Traditionally, the winning team is welcomed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate its victory alongside the sitting president.
Smith has drawn issue with Trump’s repeated insistence that NFL players stand for the anthem. Many players have been taking a knee to draw attention to police brutality towards people of color in America. Trump has taken to reprimanding these players in public and via his Twitter account,
“They call it the anthem protest. We’re not protesting the anthem. It’s a protest during the anthem. I understand why people are mad, or may be offended when someone takes a knee,” Smith said previously, according to NJ.com.
This morning, Smith took to Twitter to celebrate his historic victory. He tweeted out a GIF with the caption “Reading the tweets from the last week from all the Trump supporters destroying my mentions saying, “You gotta win before you even get invited to the White House.”
Presumably, Smith had received a lot of backlash for his announcement that he wouldn’t visit the White House, with Twitter users piling on him to accuse him of being presumptuous. Now that he’s won, Smith can officially decline the White House invite, and take a stand for what he believes in.
Reading the tweets from the last week from all of the Trump supporters destroying my mentions saying “You gotta win before you even get invited to the White House” pic.twitter.com/KkjJSi7AxJ
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018
Smith interacted with some users after sending out the initial tweet.
congrats man, why wont you go? just curious
— Kenny Stalnaker (@kstalnaker27) February 5, 2018
It goes beyond politics….I don’t think he is a good person https://t.co/iJQKBzlRKd
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018
I didn't like Obama but I still supported him. Man up here.
— Jack Lafferty – USA (@JackLaff) February 5, 2018
What about Obama’s character would make you dislike him? Serious question….I understand not liking policies but the person I don’t get…please explain https://t.co/qaZBI3gnms
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018
@TorreySmithWR Remember when you skip the @WhiteHouse the man you are protesting has brought black unemployment to its lowest levels ever recorded, while soldiers stand post thousands of miles away from their families so that you can get paid a lofty salary to catch a football.
— Brian L. Anderson (@realBrianAnders) February 5, 2018
HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! Stop giving credit when it’s not true. That trend started under Obama and continued to drop. Our soldiers have nothing to do with my feelings towards the president. I show every soldier I meet love. Real heroes! https://t.co/2DbeEgcMHC
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018
We just won the super bowl and you're on here talkin about some irrelevant shit. Who cares man, go celebrate
— MVP NICK FOLES (@danhazut) February 5, 2018
1. It’s very relevant 2. I’m bored on this flight https://t.co/kTIoQKybon
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018
Congratulations to Smith, and good on him for using his platform to push back against the Trump administration.
Going home with our baby! #flyeaglesfly pic.twitter.com/O3xdZxY6IM
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) February 5, 2018