Why Georgia won't visit the White House: Kirby Smart says it's not political

Georgia won't take the customary trip to the White House after winning the College Football Playoff national championship, and now Kirby Smart explains why

For two straight years, Georgia has won the College Football Playoff national championship, but for the second straight year, the Bulldogs will not go to the White House to meet with the president to celebrate the achievement.

The first time you could say was on the president, since Georgia was not extended an invitation to visit Washington, but the second time around, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart says there's simply a scheduling conflict that will prevent the visit from happening.

"It's a tough deal," Smart said, via the Athens Banner-Herald. 

"Timeline-wise, it didn't work. Traditionally, I went three times when I was at Alabama and it was right after the game. That didn't happen."

Smart said that Georgia eventually did receive an invitation to visit the White House a year ago, but that it only came in May, after the team was heavily involved in preparation for the upcoming football season.

"We didn't have a date set and we've got 700 kids at a football camp at our place. It's the number one time for football coaches," Smart said.

"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."

(ABH)

---

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks