How does the old saying go? You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take?
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback and Super Bowl champion Eli Ricks learned that lesson in a pretty hilarious way — and got quite the surprise — when he saw the note left in his locker from Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, on May 16. It came after her 9-year-old son Theo’s flag football team got a guided tour of the Eagles practice facilities at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia on May 16.
“Missed you today @eliasricks!” Ivanka Trump wrote on her official X account along with the picture of the note and a picture of the note sitting in Ricks’ locker.
“Stopped by to say hi! Sorry to miss you! Go Birds!” Ivanka Trump wrote on the note to Ricks.
The back and forth came after Ricks decided to weigh in on the former model and White House advisor’s good looks during the Eagles’ visit to the White House to be honored for winning Super Bowl LIX.
“Donald Trump daughter is beautiful damn,” Ricks wrote on his X account on April 28. “After seeing her in person Ivanka is exactly my type.”
While Ivanka Trump has been married to real estate investor and fellow former White House adviser Jared Kushner since 2009 and the couple have 3 children — Kushner has an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion — but the harmless flirting created quite the buzz on social media.
Social Media Reacts to Ricks Receiving Note
“My apologies,” Ricks wrote back to Ivanka Trump on his X account after seeing her post of the locker room note, along with a facepalm emoji. “I owe you a glass of wine now xx!”
Ricks is in his third NFL season after making the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of the University of Alabama. He’s also in the final season of a 3-year, $2.7 million contract.
Social media had a field day with the back and forth with the interaction between the famous First Daughter and the football star.
“Insane: Eagles 23-year-old CB Eli Ricks is obsessed with President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, after seeing her in person today at the White House,” Dov Kleiman wrote on his official X account on April 28 with a pair of laughing crying emojis.
“Live look at Eli Ricks when he got back to his locker,” X user @WinningHurts wrote on his X account along with Darth Vader screaming “NOOOOOOOO” in a famous GIF.
“Ivanka Trump… Elias Ricks. Yes, this is real,” FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account.
Ivanka Trump Grew Up in Spotlight
As the oldest daughter of one of the richest men in the world and future President of the United States, 43-year-old Ivanka Trump has spent her entire life in the spotlight.
She’s also been the most famous — and most loved — of President Trump’s 5 children seemingly from the moment she was born.
“Everyone in the family seems to acknowledge without overt rancor that Ivanka is the favorite,” Vanity Fair’s Sarah Ellison wrote in 2017.
