President Joe Biden hosted the Kansas City Chiefs at the White House for the first time on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl win — a visit that also made up for 2020 when they missed out on a visit because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a long wait to stand before. Again, we are fired up. We missed the first one due to Covid, but we are here strong. Kansas City strong,” Andy Reid, the team’s head coach, said during remarks at the White House.
The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII in February — much to first lady Jill Biden’s dismay, the president said during the event.
“Jill still doesn’t even believe the Eagles player who acknowledged the holding penalty,” Biden joked, referencing a controversial call that Eagles fans argued cost their team the game. “But I figure if the Kelce family can make it work … then there’s hope, there’s hope for the rest of us,” he added.
Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce played on opposing teams during the latest Super Bowl, the first brothers to ever face off in the NFL championship.
Despite his Philly ties, Biden congratulated the team on building a successful “dynasty,” in the face of those who discounted the team at the beginning of the season.
“Somehow, last summer, people counted you guys out. But you kept the faith,” Biden said.
He singled out Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, calling him one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation — and possibly any generation. And he praised Travis Kelce as “one of the greatest tight ends ever.”
“You’ve shown the power of one of the most elusive things in the world: unity,” Biden said.
“That’s the power of this team. The power of sports. And, I might add, it’s the power of our country,” he later added.
Both the president and Reid recognized Norma Hunt — the wife of the late Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, and the only woman who had attended every Super Bowl — who died recently.
The Chiefs’ visit on Monday marked the first time an NFL team has visited the White House since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. The Los Angeles Rams did not visit in 2022.
“Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs on their Super Bowl win and to MVP @PatrickMahomes on leading the team to victory,” Biden said on Twitter after the game. “Through injury and obstacles, you showed grit and true resilience.”
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