Saquon Barkley, other Eagles receive keys to their hometowns after winning Super Bowl
Winning a Super Bowl comes with its share of perks, including the keys to your hometown.
Philadelphia welcomed the Eagles home after Super Bowl LIX with a massive parade down Broad Street last month.
Since then, several players have also been honored in their hometowns with parades and celebrations.
On Sunday, Saquon Barkley was honored at the PPL Center, the home of the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He received the key to the city from Allentown, and honors from Whitehall Township, where Barkley attended high school. The Whitehall High School marching band and cheerleaders were on hand to celebrate Barkley’s Super Bowl win, and the city officially designated March 9 as Saquon Barkley Day.
Barkley was born in the Bronx, but his family first moved to Bethlehem in 2001, and later moved to Allentown and then Coplay in 2005. People from across the valley came to celebrate Barkley, who appeared at the event. Ticket sales from the event raised money for Barkley’s foundation, the Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation, which helps underserved youth excel in education and sports.
“The love and support you guys have shown me in Lehigh Valley has been tremendous, and I know I wouldn’t have accomplished the things I’ve accomplished in my career without the love and support from you guys, especially my Whitehall folks,” Barkley said during his speech, shouting out his high school coaches and teachers who were in attendance. “ … I put them through hell, to say the least, but they helped me as a man to grow and get to the positions that I wanted to be in, and now I’m here.”
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He wasn’t the only one to be honored by his hometown.
On Saturday, defensive tackle Jalen Carter returned home to Apopka, Fla., and the city hosted a big party downtown to celebrate Carter and the Eagles’ Super Bowl win.
“The community has been showing love since I played at Apopka. Still showing love now, and they’re still going to be showing love next time I get to the Super Bowl,” Carter told local news channel WTFV9.
Carter also received the key to the city.
On Friday, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who Monday agreed to a contract with the Vikings to start free agency, received the key to the city from his hometown Tampa, Fla., in a celebration with the mayor.
“I was that small guy that nobody believed in,” Rodgers told NBC. “I’m just trying to give back and let them know it’s possible.”