National Champion University of Georgia Bulldogs Football Team cancels White House visit, Here’s why
The University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, winners of the national championship, will not be visiting.
The White House to celebrate College Football Playoff National Championship title with President Joe Biden as previously planned due to an unfeasible date proposed by the White House.
On May 3, UGA received an invitation for the team to visit the White House on June 12, but the university stated that the suggested date was not feasible due to the student-athlete calendar and time of year.
In a statement, Bulldog mentioned, “The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12. Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year,” added.
“However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.” This means that no college football national champion has visited the White House in the past three seasons, since Louisiana State University women’s basketball team visited after the 2019 season.
Alabama and Georgia did not receive any invitations when they won the 2020 and 2021 national titles, respectively, due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols.
In response, Georgia’s political leaders issued a bipartisan resolution requesting that the White House invite the Bulldogs in 2023 after feeling snubbed the first time. The White House responded, saying, “The President looks forward to welcoming the Georgia Bulldogs to the White House.”
Unfortunately, the Biden Administration and Georgia governing body could not agree on potential dates, and the team will not be visiting the White House as a result. Meanwhile, winners of the NCAA basketball tournaments, including the LSU women’s basketball team and the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team, have been invited to a separate ceremony later this month on May 26.
However, some members of Georgia’s football team have recently made news headlines for the wrong reasons. Jalen Carter, one of the team’s star defensive linemen, was involved in a street race that resulted in the deaths of teammate Devin Willock and UGA football staffer Chandler LeCroy. Carter turned himself into Athens, Georgia police.
Stetson Bennett, the team’s quarterback, was found publicly intoxicated in Dallas, resulting in trouble with the law. Despite these grievous violations, both players were selected in the NFL Draft a few weeks ago, with Carter being chosen ninth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles and Bennett being selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round.
Despite the several setbacks and the disappointment of not being able to visit the White House, the Bulldogs football team is focused on moving forward and continuing their success in future seasons.