Georgia coach Kirby Smart insisted Wednesday there was no political motivation behind the decision for his national championship football team to decline an invitation to visit the White House in June.
FILE -Georgia head coach Kirby Smart speaks to reporters during a press conference the day after winning the national championship NCAA College Football Playoff game against TCU, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif. Georgia's national championship football team is declining an invitation to visit the White House.
ATHENS, Ga. — Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, said he enjoyed making White House visits with the Crimson Tide, which he called educational opportunities for his players. He noted those visits usually were scheduled for January, immediately following the season, when players were still on campus.
“We didn’t have a date set and we’ve got 700 kids at a football camp at our place June 6, 7, 8,” Smart said. “It’s the number one time for recruiting for football coaches. You’ve got 600 to 700 kids coming to your campus, you can’t leave to go to the White House and have no one on your campus. So the time just didn’t work out. There was nothing political about it. I’ve been before. It’s very educational. It’s a great experience.
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