Fox News Flash top sports headlines for May 9
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The Georgia Bulldogs again will not visit the White House to celebrate a national championship.
The school did not attend last year after winning its first of back-to-back titles. The team defeated TCU, 65-7, this past January to win its second straight.
"Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year," an athletic department spokesperson told Dawg Nation. "However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward."
President Joe Biden originally did not invite the Bulldogs, which garnered plenty of criticism. COVID-19 safety precautions prevented Georgia from visiting last year, but defensive lineman Warren Brinson let his displeasure be heard on Twitter in February, saying it was "crazy" the team had not yet been invited this time around.
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Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett holds the championship trophy after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, after the tweet and request signed by U.S. Rep. Earl LeRoy "Buddy" Carter as well as Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, an invitation has been sent.
"The Georgia Bulldogs, led by Head Coach Kirby Smart, completed a historic season in which they accomplished a 15-0 record and won their second National Championship in the same number of years," the political leaders wrote in their request.
"The 2022-2023 team allowed an average of 14.2 points per game while scoring an incredible 41 points per game. This marks the fourth college football national championship in school history and the 2022-23 Bulldogs become the first team in the College Football Playoff Era to win back-to-back national championships," they continued.
Director of athletics Josh Brooks, head coach Kirby Smart and Stetson Bennett of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrate after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 9, 2023, in Inglewood, California. Georgia defeated TCU, 65-7. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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"For years, the college football national champion has had the high honor of being hosted, by the President, at the White House. Due to COVID-19 constraints, the 2021-22 University of Georgia national championship team was unable to come to D.C. It is our hope that this repeat championship team can join the many teams prior that have been honored by the President," the officials wrote.
Both the UConn men's and LSU's women's basketball teams will visit the White House on May 26.
A college football champion has not visited the White House since LSU did so to celebrate its 2020 title. The 2021-2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors visited the White House in January after not doing so in 2017 and 2018 while former President Donald Trump was in office.
Neither the Toronto Raptors nor the Los Angeles Lakers, the winners of the 2019 and 2020 NBA Finals, visited the White House to commemorate their titles, but the Milwaukee Bucks made the trip to visit Biden in November 2021.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs holds up the championship trophy after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs, 65-7, to win the CFP National Championship Football game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on January 9, 2023. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
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The last championship team to visit Trump in office was the 2019 Washington Nationals, five days after their World Series victory over the Houston Astros. The pandemic made visits tougher and, by the time restrictions started to be lifted, Biden had taken office.
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