After the University of Georgia football team took home their second national championship at the end of last year, the Bulldogs recently announced they will not be partaking in one of the ceremonious traditions.
Despite defeating TCU Horned Frogs 65-7 in January at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and winning the NCAA Division I Football Championship game, the Bulldogs opted to not participate in one of the traditions that’s been around for decades.
“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 announced in a statement shared on social media. “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.”
This is also the second year in a row the Bulldogs have been unable to visit the White House. After taking home the national title last year, COVID-19 restrictions were still in place, making a trip to Washington unfeasible.
In fact, not a single NCAA championship team has been in the White House since 2020. The Louisiana State University Tigers were the last football team to celebrate their title in Washington when Donald Trump was still president.
The LSU Tigers and the UConn Huskies have accepted the White House invite
Although the Bulldogs declined their invitation, the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team and the University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team recently announced that they will be joining President Joe Biden and the FLOTUS on May 26th for a joint ceremony.
Some are shocked at this acceptance, particularly referencing the LSU Tigers, due to the controversy that surrounded First Lady Jill Biden.
RELATED: Amazing Dodgers Dad Holds Baby and Beer While Catching Foul Ball During Game
Following the team’s victory over Iowa State, Jill Biden casually suggested that both teams should be allowed to visit the White House, despite the tradition only allowing the NCAA winners. After this statement, Reese openly condemned the First Lady and initially said she would not accept the President’s offer to visit. However, she recently retracted this statement, according to ESPN.
“In the beginning, we were hurt. It was emotional because we know how hard we worked all year for everything,” Reese explained. “You don’t get that experience [to go to the White House] ever, and I know my team probably wants to go for sure and my coaches are supportive of that, so I’m going to do what’s best for the team and we’ve decided we’re going to go.”
What to Read Next...
At The Buzzer, or ATB is the place for those who love sports, life, family, community, and so much more. We are far from the run-of-the-mill 24/7 sports news websites. We not only bring you what’s happening in the world of sports in terms of trades and breaking news, but we also bring you the news that goes on behind the scenes, like big life moments, and so much more. So take a minute and read one of our articles, we promise you won't regret it.