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Tag: rooting

The Super Bowl team Trump may not be rooting for on Sunday

President Donald Trump, taking to social media ahead of the Super Bowl, praised both teams facing off in professional football’s biggest game.

“Two great Quarterbacks in this game. Also, an unbelievable running back, and the absolute best tight end in football (Ever!). Incredible coaching!” the president wrote Friday in a post on his Truth Social platform. “IT WILL BE A GREAT GAME!!!”

Trump is expected to make history this weekend as the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in person, when the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, Louisiana.

FIRST FAN: TRUMP TAKES AIM AT THIS NEW NFL RULE

President Donald Trump attends a game between the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)

The Chiefs are aiming to make history as the first National Football League team to win three straight Lombardi trophies as Super Bowl champions.

The Eagles, playing in their third Super Bowl in seven seasons, seek to avenge their 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in the championship game two years ago.

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Trump earlier this week appeared to indicate which team he may be rooting for in the big game.

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office which team he wanted to win the Super Bowl, the president responded, “I don’t wanna say.”

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs documents in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

“But there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner,” he added as he apparently pointed towards Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The president the next day gave a shoutout to Mahomes and his wife Brittany, who hinted at support for Trump in last year’s presidential election.

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“Congratulations to the Chiefs GREAT Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his very beautiful and BRILLIANT wife, Brittany, on the birth of their new baby daughter, Golden Raye. This is what I call a baby with great genes, both mother and father. It’s happy times in the wonderful Mahomes family. See you all on Sunday!” he wrote.

President Donald Trump looks on during the first quarter of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

While Trump theoretically is staying neutral in Sunday’s game, he does appear to have an acrimonious history with the Eagles which dates back to his first White House administration.

During his first year in office, Trump repeatedly criticized NFL players who refused to stand for the national anthem as they symbolically protested racism. After the Eagles won the Super Bowl that season, most of the players on the team said they would boycott the traditional White House appearance by the championship team.

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Trump, responding, disinvited the team.

“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump said at the time. “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 are also the team long cheered on by former President Joe Biden, a Pennsylvania native who for nearly his entire life has called neighboring Delaware home.

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As he addressed the Democratic National Committee, which met in Philadelphia amid a blistering cold weekend in early 2023 for their annual winter meeting, the then-president said “Fly, Eagles, fly!”

And former First Lady Jill Biden, a devout Eagles fan who often wears the team’s garb, will be attending Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 8, 2025
Ed McCaffrey reveals rooting order for 3 NFL sons; excited for Christian’s return after injury-riddled season

Some parents may think Ed McCaffrey has a tough task on his hands, but he has an easy solution.

The three-time Super Bowl champion has two sons, Christian and Luke, playing in the NFL, and another one, Max, coaching in it.

No, McCaffrey has not been in the shoes of, say, the Kelce family, picking between his boys in the Super Bowl… yet.

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SiriusXM host Ed McCaffrey and Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers take photos during day 2 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on Jan. 30, 2020, in Miami, Florida. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

But, he has seen two of his sons on the field at the same time – Christian’s Niners and Max’s Dolphins faced off in December, and in 2026, Luke’s Commanders will go up against San Fran.

So, who did, and will, he root for?

“They’re all even. I love all my kids evenly, man,” he quipped in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s a sensitive thing as a dad – occasionally, my kids’ teams play each other. But I root for my kids.”

So yes, McCaffrey does have three favorite teams. He admitted that the Denver Broncos, where he spent nine of his 13 seasons and won two of his three Super Bowls, have been left out of the rotation, despite them being his “extended family.”

“I still root for the Broncos, but I root for my kids first,” he admitted.

McCaffrey was unable to do much rooting for Christian, his middle son, on the field this season. After winning Offensive Player of the Year last year, CMC suited up in just four games of the 2024 campaign. He missed most of training camp and the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis. Then, in a snowy Buffalo, he injured his knee.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey watches injured from the sidelines during the New York Jets game at Levi’s Stadium. (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

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“Yeah, the year sucked, really,” McCaffrey put it bluntly. “You put everything you have into getting ready for season, and then he got hurt early in training camp… And he did everything he could to get back on the field, then as fate would have it, he hurt his knee.”

But while he couldn’t cheer for his son on the field, he was certainly able to do so off of it.

“Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. I’m so proud of him for his resilience, his toughness, the guy wants to be on the field more than anybody I’ve met in my entire life,” McCaffrey added.

The knee injury, McCaffrey said, could also possibly be a blessing in disguise for the 2025 season.

“He’ll have his first full offseason in years…” he said, noting that Christian played in the Super Bowl last year and the NFC championship game in 2023. “Your offseason gets cut a month and a half, two months when you play in a Super Bowl…

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“It sucks to get hurt. It’s the worst part playing the game. Missing time, sitting on the sideline is frustrating. But you can’t change the past, and all you can do is work hard each and every day to be the best you can be.”

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February 6, 2025
Why Giants’ Jalin Hyatt will be rooting for Saquon Barkley in Super Bowl LIX: ‘He was like a big bro’

NEW ORLEANS – New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hatt was hungry coming off his Biletnikoff Award-winning season with the Tennessee Volunteers when he was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

But college success doesn’t always translate smoothly to the pros. Great coaches, and even better teammates, can help ease that process for young players looking to make their mark on the league.

That’s why Hyatt will be putting divisional rivalries to the side when it comes to Saquon Barkley, the superstar Philadelphia Eagles running back who was Hyatt’s teammate in 2023.

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Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt at New York Giants minicamp at their practice complex in East Rutherford, N.J. (Imagn)

“I’m proud of Saquon,” Hyatt told Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with World of Hyatt at Super Bowl LIX. “When I came in as a rookie when he was here [with the Giants], he was like a big bro for me.

“Helping me through the facility, helping me through plays on the field. Just really being a leader for me, and I have so much respect for him for that. Just to see what he’s doing over there with the Eagles, I’m really not surprised what he’s doing. He’s a special player. I’m definitely going to be rooting for him for sure for what he can do. I’m just proud of him.”

Now, Giants fans, don’t get on Hyatt too quickly after saying he will be rooting for Barkley. It doesn’t mean he wants to see the Eagles hoisting the trophy Sunday night.

He thinks their opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, will win for a third straight year.

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“I love Sa, I love Saquon. That’s one of my friends, so I’ll be rooting for him personally,” Hyatt said, smiling. “But I do like the Chiefs. I like Pat Mahomes. I like Xavier Worthy. I like a lot of those guys over there. Not only that, they’ve been there. They’re comfortable being in that spotlight.”

Hyatt touched on the “two business decisions” made between Barkley and the Giants in the offseason, which sent the franchise’s fan base into a spiral. Barkley was clearly the team’s best player, but after spending so much on Daniel Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract, the Giants slapped the franchise tag on their star running back and never worked out an extension.

Barkley ended up getting what he wanted from the Eagles, while the Giants released Jones mid-season during a 3-14 campaign.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley greets fans at MetLife Stadium. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)

“I think that Sa, if he didn’t want to be here with the Giants, he’s obviously going to have his places he wanted to go and where he wanted to play,” Hyatt said. “Obviously, with the Giants, it’s a big business with them. ‘Do we want him? Do we want to continue to have Saquon on our team, or do we want to go somewhere else?’ I just think it was a business decision on both ends.

“Obviously, I wanted Saquon to stay just because he’s big bro for me, helping me as a rookie when I came in. So, I was sad when he left.”

Hyatt knows he and the team have to move on.

That’s what Barkley has tried to do, yet the trolling by NFL fans on the Giants has gotten significantly worse in recent weeks because of his performances. When Barkley spoke Monday night to quarterback Jameis Winston about possibly joining the Giants in free agency, it had people speculating he was taking a jab at his former squad.

But the Giants must sleep in the bed they made, and the only way to silence critics will be winning games.

Hyatt will be doing his part to have a bounce-back 2025 season after a down year in 2024 (he played just 33% of offensive snaps), which begins with offseason training in Dallas after the Super Bowl.

New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (13) attempts to catch a pass in front of Philadelphia Eagles safety Tristin McCollum (36) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. (Vincent CarchiettaImagn Images)

But first, Hyatt will be watching closely Sunday to see his friend and former teammate play.

MAKING MEMORIES WITH WORLD OF HYATT

With the last name fitting perfectly, Hyatt has partnered with World of Hyatt for three years, and they’ve collaborated on a fun experience.

World of Hyatt’s Find Experiences in New Orleans and New York City offer custom experiences where Hyatt members can bid points on the football star’s Guide to New Orleans, for example, which includes a two-night stay at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter New Orleans with a guest, food, walking tours and a custom welcome video from the football star himself.

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

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“It’s one of the best things we’re doing so far with the Find Experiences. We just keep building together, and we’ll see where we get from there.”

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025
49ers’ Deebo Samuel rooting against Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs’ historic pursuit: ‘All the reason to hate’

San Francisco 49ers star wideout Deebo Samuel likely won’t be tuning in to watch the Super Bowl, but he is hoping the Philadelphia Eagles pull off an upset over the Kansas City Chiefs as the defending champs chase history.

Samuel didn’t hide his feelings toward the Chiefs on the latest episode of his podcast “Cleats & Convos.”

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. (Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images)

“I was rooting for Josh Allen and the Bills honestly, just because I’m a fan of their game and the season that they’ve had,” Chicago Bears wideout Rome Odunze, a guest on this week’s podcast episode, said before admitting that he can’t discredit what Kansas City has achieved.

But Samuel disagreed.

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“They [Chiefs] beat me twice so I got all the reason to hate,” he said, referring to Patrick Mahomes’ first Super Bowl victory over the 49ers in 2020 and their most recent last season.

“You’ve got to tip your hat to the Chiefs for always finding a way to win,” he continued. “We’ve got the Chiefs and the Eagles – you know, I’ve got a love-hate for both, but I got all the love for my brother A.J. Brown over there, so I definitely want to see him win. I definitely don’t want to see Mahomes get the third one. I’m rocking with A.J. and Saquon [Barkley] with this one for sure.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Mahomes and company are pursuing a rare accomplishment when they arrive in New Orleans next week: becoming the only NFL team to ever win three Super Bowls consecutively.

But the Eagles are chasing a history of their own. A win in New Orleans on Feb. 9 would make Jalen Hurts just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win the Lombardi Trophy after losing his first Super Bowl start.

Of the 36 starting quarterbacks to lose in their Super Bowl debuts, only Len Dawson, Bob Griese and John Elway returned victoriously.

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 29, 2025