Malcolm Jenkins: Jalen Hurts took ‘the first step toward being an icon who matters’ by skipping White House visit
The former Eagles safety praised the quarterback’s decision to not attend, which the White House said was due to “scheduling conflicts.”
The Eagles traveled to Washington on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory. But as they stood in front of the White House alongside President Donald Trump, there were quite a few notable names who weren’t in attendance, including Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.
White House officials cited “scheduling conflicts” when asked about his absence. But former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who famously protested racial injustice by raising his fist during the national anthem starting in 2016, believes there’s more to the story.
“Some moments in a career are about wins and losses. Others are about who you are when the game isn’t being played,” Jenkins wrote in a column about Hurts’ decision. “Seven years ago, I learned firsthand how success in sports can collide with politics of power. Today, Jalen Hurts finds himself standing at that same crossroads.”
After the Eagles Super Bowl victory in 2018, Jenkins, alongside many other key players, made the decision to decline Trump’s invitation to the White House. This, of course, led to the entire team’s invitation being rescinded.
After how things went down in 2018, the Eagles’ visit to the White House became a major topic of discussion after the team won its second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. When it was announced that the Eagles had accepted their invitation, there were questions surrounding which players would attend.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts skipped the White House but Saquon Barkley golfed with Donald Trump. Here’s how people reacted.
At the recent Time100 gala, Hurts was asked whether he was going. The quarterback was noncommittal, responding with a long “um.” A few days later, fans got their answer.
“The team had framed the White House visit as optional. But leadership is never optional,” Jenkins wrote in the column on his website. “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.”
Jenkins, who was a team captain with the Eagles, believes Hurts’ decision comes with a number of challenges, including media scrutiny, locker room dynamics, public pressure, and cultural responsibility. But if the quarterback navigates through the challenges, he believes Hurts not only “solidifies himself as a selfless leader” but he also “joins a tradition of athletes who used their peak to push conversations forward, not shy away from them.”
Jenkins, having previously met with lawmakers in Washington, using his own platform to protest inequality, is speaking from experience.
“Jalen’s decision stands in opposition to a culture that often asks players to just ‘shut up and play,’” Jenkins wrote. “Instead, he’s choosing to lead — not just with his arm, but with his mind, his values, and his presence. It’s a risk. But it’s also an opportunity to become something much bigger than a champion.
“It’s the first step toward being an icon who matters — not just because of what he won, but because of what he stood for when it counted.”