Some moments in a career are about wins and losses. Others are about who you are when the game isn’t being played. Seven years ago, I learned firsthand how success in sports can collide with the politics of power.
[This piece originally ran on Malcolm Jenkins’ Substack, Love, Art & War. Sign up here.]
When my Eagles team won the Super Bowl in 2018, myself and other key players on the roster declined the invitation to visit the White House. In return, the invitation for the entire team was rescinded. We didn’t just face criticism — we were thrust into a cultural storm that had very little to do with football and everything to do with what we stood for.
Today, Jalen Hurts finds himself standing at that same crossroads.
It’s the first step toward being an icon who matters — not just because of what Hurts won, but because of what he stood for when it counted.
This week, the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Washington, D.C. to be honored by the President for their Super Bowl win. But their franchise quarterback — their MVP, their leader — wasn’t with them.
Jalen Hurts chose not to attend.
The weight of a quiet decision
The team had framed the White House visit as optional. But leadership is never optional.
When you’re the quarterback — the face of the team — your presence, or your absence, always says something.
By choosing not to go, Jalen didn’t just make a personal decision. He made a public one.
And with that decision comes a whole new set of challenges:
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- Media scrutiny: Every word he says about it (or doesn’t say) will be dissected, framed, and spun.
- Locker room dynamics: As the leader, stepping away from a team event — even for principled reasons — creates distance he’ll need to bridge carefully.
- Public pressure: In one of the most intense sports markets in the country, every move he makes now will be judged even more harshly.
- Cultural responsibility: His silence, his words, his posture — all of it will matter to the people watching who are looking for signs of courage, authenticity, and leadership.
And none of it will be easy.
He’s stepping into a territory where even the smallest misstep will be amplified.
If Jalen Hurts navigates it well …
But if he can carry this moment with the same grace, integrity, and composure he’s shown throughout his career, something bigger happens.
If Jalen Hurts navigates this:
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- He solidifies himself as a selfless leader, willing to risk comfort to honor his values.
- He strengthens his integrity and cultural capital in a way few athletes ever achieve.
- He shows the next generation what it looks like to stand on principle — not just play for the applause.
- He joins a tradition of athletes who used their peak to push conversations forward, not shy away from them.
Not because he was loud.
Not because he was divisive.
But because he was clear.
Leadership today isn’t just about leading a team.
It’s about leading a conversation.
And Jalen Hurts — whether he realizes it or not — just entered that conversation at the highest level.
The larger moment
In contrast, much has been made about Saquon Barkley, Hurts’ star running back, who made a different choice — attending the White House visit early and spending the day golfing with the President. It was disappointing, to say the very least, but I understand that respect works both ways.
Each man has to walk his own path.
But neutrality is not neutrality in times like these.
And even silence becomes a statement.
Jalen’s decision stands in opposition to a culture that often asks players to just “shut up and play.”
Instead, he’s choosing to lead — not just with his arm, but with his mind, his values, and his presence. It’s a risk. But it’s also an opportunity to become something much bigger than a champion.
If Jalen’s decision resonates with you, show him some love. He’s going to need it — and I say that from experience.
It’s the first step toward being an icon who matters — not just because of what he won, but because of what he stood for when it counted.
I’ll close by borrowing the words of the great Bill Russell, who once spoke about Muhammad Ali — words that now feel just about as true about Jalen Hurts: “He is better equipped than anyone I know to withstand the trial in store for him. What I’m worried about is the rest of us.”
If Jalen’s decision resonates with you, show him some love. He’s going to need it — and I saw that from experience.
It’s easy to forget, in moments like this, just how heavy leadership can feel when the cameras are off and the headlines face. A word of support, a moment of grace, can make a bigger difference than you realize.
Malcolm Jenkins is a former NFL safety who played for the Super Bowl LII champion Eagles and the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints. A longtime champion of social and criminal justice, Jenkins is the founder of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, serving youth in underserved communities in PA, NJ, OH and LA; a bespoke clothier (Jalen Hurts has repped his custom line), and the author of What Winners Won’t Tell You. Follow his Subtack, LOVE, ART & WAR, where this piece originally ran.
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