PHILADELPHIA − Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said he’s never been so nervous before.
Not at the Super Bowl last February, not trying to make the Eagles’ roster as a seventh-round pick in 2018, after growing up as a rugby player in Australia.
None of this compared to singing in front of President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden at the White House Christmas party last week.
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“We were able to talk to President Biden and Dr. Jill for probably about 45 minutes,” Mailata said. “That was probably the surreal part. I thought it was going to be like, ‘Oh, hello.’ We talked for a while. And then he took us to the Oval Office. He said to me, by any chance, have you ever been to the Oval Office? I said, ‘Mr. President, this is my first time here . I don’t know.” how I even got here.
“He escorted us with, I don’t know how many Secret Service personnel there were, it looked like there were 100 in there, but he escorted us to the Oval Office.”
Mailata was joined by Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson and director of player development Connor Barwin for the staff party at the White House on Dec. 21. The intention was to surprise first lady Jill Biden, a longtime Eagles fan.
Mailata sang “This Christmas,” one of the songs from the Eagles’ Christmas album, “A Philly Special Christmas Special.”
Mailata said at first he wasn’t sure if he should go. At the time, the Eagles were in the midst of a three-game losing streak. “I’m like, ‘Do I really want to go sing? Especially when we’re losing?'” Mailata said. “I said, ‘(Swear) that.’ It feels like it’s an opportunity.
For Mailata, it was worth it. He said President Biden “entertained us with some stories about the history of the White House.”
Then he added: “It was crazy. If you told me a few years ago that I would even be a starter in the NFL, I would probably laugh in your face. But if you told me I was going to be a starter in the NFL, I probably would have laughed in your face. singing at the White House and then having the opportunity to spend time with the President of the United States and the First Lady, I would probably walk away from you.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
