Kirby Smart Clarifies Why Georgia Declined White House Invitation

During an interview for a charity golf tournament in Alabama, Kirby Smart spoke as to why the Georgia Bulldogs declined their invitation to the White House

Winning two national titles in back-to-back seasons is a major rarity in the world of college football. What is rarer than that, is not attending the White House for either occasion.

It is an unspoken tradition in America, that major sports teams who win their respective championships receive an invite to the White House to be recognized for their accomplishments. However, the Bulldogs turned down their opportunity following their 2022 national championship season. 

This is not the first instance in recent years where a championship sports team has declined to visit the White House. In 2017, the Golden State Warriors elected to not visit the White House to send a message to Donald Trump, president at the time. 

But The University of Georgia's decision to forgo a White House visit has sparked many political arguments (and even garnered some praise). Georgia head coach Kirby Smart remains adamant that the decision to decline the invite was anything but politically charged.

During an interview for a charity golf tournament in Alabama, Smart was asked why the Georgia Bulldogs declined their invitation to the White House. He cited scheduling issues and the White House's delayed invitation as the main reasons.

"Timeline-wise, it didn't work. Traditionally, you get invited right after the game but that didn't happen. We didn't have a date set and we have things planned."

-Kirby Smart

Smart also acknowledged that he had been to the White House three previous instances during his time with Alabama and stated that he found the experience very educational. He finished his answer by reassuring the media that the decision was not politically motivated.

"The time just didn't work out, nothing political about it."

-Kirby Smart

The Bulldogs' has also made it abundantly clear that he, his staff, and his players are fully focused on the upcoming 2023 season.

Other Georgia News:

• Philadelphia Trades for D'Andre Swift, Adds Another Former Georgia Player
• Sammy Brown Talks Georgia, Sets Timeline for Commitment
• A Noticeable Trend With Georgia Bulldogs in the NFL Draft

Join the community:

Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinBA

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailyFN