Fernando Mendoza responds to question of whether he'll visit White House

Fernando Mendoza responded to a question Saturday of whether helium volition sojourn President Donald Trump astatine the White House to observe the Indiana Hoosiers' historical assemblage shot championship.

Mendoza said that helium "believed" the scheduled day of the visit, May 11, was the archetypal time of the Las Vegas Raiders' organized squad activities (OTAs). But helium was incorrect, arsenic the Raiders' OTAs don't commencement until May 18.

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Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, selected arsenic the No. 1 wide prime successful the 2026 NFL draught by the Las Vegas Raiders, attends a quality league astatine the Raiders Headquarters successful Henderson, Nev., connected April 24, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"If it is connected the archetypal time of OTAs, similar I said, I'm connected the bottommost of the totem rod here, I got to beryllium myself, I can't miss practice," Mendoza told reporters astatine a Raiders property league connected Saturday. "As a rookie, I don't deliberation that's a bully look. I privation to effort to champion service my teammates, and I don't deliberation that would beryllium accomplishing that goal."

The Raiders don't person thing successful their offseason programme scheduled for May 11.

INDIANA'S FERNANDO MENDOZA WINS 2025 HEISMAN TROPHY

Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza looks connected during warmups earlier the College Football Playoff National Championship crippled against the Miami Hurricanes astatine Hard Rock Stadium successful Miami Gardens, Florida, connected Jan. 19, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

Mendoza led Indiana to the assemblage shot title and the archetypal 16-0 play successful the modern past of the sport. The squad announced it was visiting the White House to observe the accomplishment connected Friday.

Mendoza became 1 of the biggest names successful the athletics during his heroics for Indiana past season, en way to the Heisman Trophy. He was the No. 1 wide prime successful this year's NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

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President Donald Trump hosts NCAA collegiate nationalist champions astatine the White House successful this April 2026 photo. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The different assemblage shot champions who went connected to beryllium the No. 1 wide picks, Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow, each visited Trump astatine the White House successful the president's archetypal term. Lawrence visited successful 2019 and Burrow went successful 2020.

Now, each eyes crook to Mendoza, who etched his sanction successful assemblage shot past and the hearts of galore shot fans, to spot if helium volition marque the travel erstwhile realizing that OTAs are not connected the aforesaid time arsenic the visit.

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