Digging deeper into a culture war that he's repeatedly stoked, President Donald Trump has called off a visit by the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House today, citing the dispute over whether NFL players must stand during the playing of the national anthem.
Trump said in a statement that some members of the Super Bowl championship team "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."
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney replied with his own statement, saying that he is "equally proud of the Eagles' activism off the field" and that the players "represent the diversity of our nation a nation in which we are free to express our opinions."
"So many lies," he wrote, adding, "Not many people were going to go." Smith, who played on the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia team before being traded to the Carolina Panthers in March, added: "No one refused to go simply because Trump 'insists' folks stand for the anthem. ... The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti military."
Last season, Vice President Mike Pence left the 49ers game against the Indianapolis Colts after about a dozen San Francisco players took a knee during the anthem. Pence, who left before kickoff, tweeted soon afterward, "I left today's Colts game becaue @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem."