College Football

Georgia's Kirby Smart on declining White House invitation: 'Nothing political'

Updated May. 10, 2023 6:52 p.m. ET

During an appearance at a pro-am golf tournament Wednesday, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said that the team's decision to decline an invitation to visit the White House was "tough" and "not political."

According to a statement released by the University of Georgia athletic association on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will not be able to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House. The event is described by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden as "College Athlete Day."

The statement from Georgia says the team’s schedule interferes with the suggested date, which was provided in an invitation received earlier this month.

"The University of Georgia first received on May 3 an invitation for the Bulldog football team to visit the White House on June 12," the statement from the athletic association said. "Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward."

Smart elaborated on that reasoning Wednesday.

"It's a tough deal," Smart told reporters. "I went three times when I was at Alabama. You [would] get invited right after the game. That didn't happen, we didn't have a date set and we have things planned. We've got 700 kids coming to a football camp at our place on June 6, 7, 8. It's the No. 1 time for recruiting for football coaches. When you've got 600-700 kids coming to your campus, you can't take 200 people to the White House and have no one on your campus.

"The time just didn't work out, nothing political about it. I've been before. It's very educational. It's a great experience."

Alabama won four national championships with Smart as the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator, all of which came during the administration of President Barack Obama, who Joe Biden served under as vice president. Smart did not attend the Crimson Tide's trip to the Obama White House after the last of those titles in early 2016 as he had just been hired as head coach at his alma mater, Georgia.

Some professional championship teams, including the 2021 Atlanta Braves, have made White House visits during the Biden administration. This year’s NCAA men’s and women’s championship basketball teams from Connecticut and LSU, respectively, are scheduled to visit the White House on May 26.

Smart and quarterback Stetson Bennett led Georgia to its second consecutive national championship with a 65-7 runaway win over TCU in January. Neither Georgia in 2022 nor Alabama in 2021 visited the White House after their national championships earlier in those respective years due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.