Second Consecutive National Championship Team from Georgia Declines White House Invitation
The University of Georgia Athletic Association announced that the Georgia Bulldogs football team will not be visiting the White House next month to celebrate their second consecutive national championship. The invitation, which was received on May 3, suggested a visit on June 12.
However, according to the statement released by the University of Georgia, the date is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. The Bulldogs defeated the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 65-7 in January to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy and finish the season with a perfect record of 15-0.
Last year, the Bulldogs did not visit the White House after their championship win, nor did the Alabama Crimson Tide the year before, due to Covid-related reasons. The Louisiana State University Tigers were the last championship football team to visit the White House in January 2020, where former President Donald Trump joked about his first impeachment but did not provide the same viral buffet of fast food that was given to the Clemson Tigers in 2018.
On May 26, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be hosting two ceremonies celebrating each team’s national championship title. The LSU Tigers women’s basketball team and the University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team have been invited to the White House for the ceremony.
The invitation for the LSU women’s basketball team came after criticism from team star Angel Reese, who objected to the first lady’s suggestion that both LSU and second-place team University of Iowa should come to the celebratory ceremony. The first lady’s office later retracted her remarks.
While the Georgia Bulldogs will not be attending the White House ceremony, they are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.
