Jill Biden on Monday touted the ‘integrity’ of the NFL while she watched young children play flag football in Mexico, praising the league as it deals with the fallout from Damar Hamlin’s injury and its response to it.
She also gave a shoutout to her beloved Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the New York Giants in Sunday night’s playoff game.
I’m a big supporter of the NFL. Actually on the plane here yesterday, I was watching the Eagles beat the Giants,’ she said.
She praised the NFL for ‘teaching our children the values of respect and integrity.’
Jill Biden praised the NFL for its ‘integrity’ during an event in Mexico as the league deals with the fallout from its response to Damar Hamlin’s injury
The first lady joined local students for a Tochito NFL flag football event, which promotes gender equality and girls’ empowerment
The first lady was in Mexico City for President Joe Biden’s ‘Three Amigos’ Summit with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
She joined local students for a Tochito NFL flag football event, which promotes gender equality and girls’ empowerment.
While she was at the event, President Biden stayed at his hotel ahead of a formal dinner tonight that he and the first lady will attend. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with the president of Mexico.
Monday’s NFL event was boisterous. Jill Biden cheered on the middle schoolers as they did drills, including tire runs, ladder drills, blocking dummies, and a ball toss.
‘This is really empowering young girls and it’s teaching our children the values of respect and integrity,’ she said.
I always say that sports is the international language. And you can see how children from within countries, children playing other children from other countries – It’s all about unity. And believing in the same values and goals.’
Jill Biden, a Philly native, has long been an Eagles fan and a football follower. She attended one of their October games in Philadelphia.
She and President Biden released a joint statement after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was injured, saying they were praying for him.
Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Monday and has returned to western New York to finish his recovery after he suffered a cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The NFL struggled with a slow response to his injury, taking 90 minutes after it happened to call off the game.
The league was heavily criticized by commentators and fans on social media in the aftermath.
Meanwhile, the Eagles beat the Giants 22-16 on Sunday night, bouncing back after two straight losses and earning themselves a week of rest. The Giants, who didn’t play their starters against their longtime NFC rivals, now head to Minnesota for a wild-card game against the Vikings.
Jill Biden poses for a picture with the students who participated in the Tochito NFL flag football event at the US ambassador’s residence in Mexico City, Mexico
Jill Biden also hosted a conversation on women’s empowerment on Monday
First lady Jill Biden and Hope Salazar, wife of US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, tour around the house to view paintings at the US ambassador’s residence in Mexico City
Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital in Cincinnati and is in Buffalo
Jill Biden, who teaches English at a Northern Virginia Community College, did give the school kids a little grief on Monday.
‘You know I’m a teacher so I’m just wondering like, Did you skip school to be here?,’ she said. ‘Maybe,’ she noted when the kids looked sheepish. ‘Okay, thank you for being here.’
The first lady has her own schedule during the three-day trip.
Before the NFL event on Monday, she hosted a conversation on women’s empowerment at the official residence of the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.
‘We have never been silent,’ she told the group. ‘But women have been silenced. For many women around the world, simply raising their voice is a struggle and they had to fight for a seat at the table. When women are left behind or pushed out, it hurts us all. But when women get the opportunities they deserve, there’s no limit to what we can do.’
Jill Biden is in Mexico to accompany President Joe Biden on his three-day trip
Jill Biden embraces a woman during an event on women’s empowerment
First Lady Jill Biden listens to Monsenior Salvador Martinez during her visit to the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City, which she stopped at after she arrived in Mexico on Sunday
On Tuesday, she met with the spouses of the two presidents, Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller and Mrs. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City.
Then the trio will tour the Templo Mayor in the center of the city. It was the primary temple of the Mexica people in Tenochtitlan, and is the site of an ongoing architectural dig.
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