Georgia Football Team Turns Down White House Invite, Says It's 'Not Feasible' After Delays
The university's football team said in a statement that it had an unspecified scheduling conflict that would keep them from making the trip to Washington, D.C.
The Georgia Bulldogs football team says it's declining an invitation to visit the White House and meet with President Joe Biden this summer.
The team, which won its second-straight national championship in January with a commanding 65-7 win over TCU, announced its decision in a statement Tuesday, citing a scheduling conflict.
"The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12," the team's statement said, according to ESPN. "Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward."
The denial comes after Georgia players and fans have criticized the White House for not inviting the team sooner. The back-to-back national champions were not invited to visit with Biden, 80, after winning the title last season because of COVID restrictions still being in place.
In February of this year, a month after the Bulldogs routed TCU on their way to winning a second-straight title, defensive lineman Warren Brinson appeared to criticize Biden for not immediately inviting the team for a visit.
"No invite to the White House is crazy," Brinson tweeted, tagging the president.
Related:LSU and Angel Reese Will Accept Invite to the White House: 'Going to Do What's Best for the Team'
Eventually, lawmakers from the state petitioned Biden to invite the team for a visit. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as Rep. Earl "Buddy" Carter, all signed a letter petitioning for an invite, which ultimately came this week.
But the timing, Georgia says, is just not right. According to ESPN, Georgia did not specify in its statement about what part of its summer schedule is causing a conflict with the visit.
On May 26, the White House will host both the men's and women's NCAA basketball champions, UConn and LSU. That visit didn't come easy for Biden, either, who was initially rebuffed by LSU's top star Angel Reese over a public dispute with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
