NFL: Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles will not visit White House

The New England Patriots visited the White House after winning the 2017 Super Bowl. Photo / Getty Images

The Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles will not take part in the annual champion's visit to the White House.

The team will not be visiting President Donald Trump, which was scheduled for Wednesday (NZ time), due to disagreements over a policy requiring players to stand for national anthem before games.

CNN reported Trump uninvited the Eagles because a number of players refused to show up.

"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated," Trump said in a statement. "They 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. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better."

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots to win the 2018 Super Bowl. Photo / Getty Images

Late last month, the NFL announced they had come to an agreement with owners that players who are on field must stand for the anthem, after athletes had knelt during the Star Spangled Banner in protest in inequality over the past two seasons.

Players who choose not to stand for the anthem must remain in the locker room until after it has been performed.

"The policy adopted today was approved in concert with the NFL's ongoing commitment to local communities and our country — one that is extraordinary in its scope, resources and alignment with our players," Commissioner Rob Goodell said in a statement when the announcement was made. "We are dedicated to continuing our collaboration with players to advance the goals of justice and fairness in all corners of our society."

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first player to begin protesting during the anthem - sitting through it in a preseason game in 2016.

When asked why in a post-match interview, he responded: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

More and more players followed Kaepernick's lead and by the end of the 2017-18 season it was rare to not see player protesting during the anthem before a match.

The Eagles follow in the footsteps of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, who also boycotted their White House visit after claiming the 2017 NBA title. The Oakland-based team instead used their visit to the US capital to "celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion".