Eagles hit back at fake Kamala Harris adverts around Philadelphia that claim VP is NFL team's 'official candidate'

The Philadelphia Eagles were forced to speak out in order to combat counterfeit political adverts supporting Vice President Kamala Harris Monday.

Posters hailing Harris as the 'official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles' appeared around the City of Brotherly Love this week. 

The adverts, which were displayed at bus stops, depicted the Democratic candidate in an Eagles helmet cradling a football along with the name, 'Kamala' in big, bold capital letters.

The franchise released a statement condemning the posters as they insisted the adverts were counterfeit. 

'We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed,' the team said in a brief statement released Monday afternoon. 

Posters hailing Kamala Harris as the 'official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles' appeared

The Eagles were forced to insist that the posters endorsing Harris were counterfeit 

The adverts also featured a link to Philadelphiaeagles.com/vote  - which is a real website set up by the Eagles organization to help provide nonpartisan information to allow people to know how to register to vote and learn more about upcoming elections. 

The Eagles' site does not list an 'official candidate' it is endorsing. 

It is currently unknown who may have created and paid for these adverts but the franchise is working with its advertising partner to have them removed. 

They were spotted at various locations around the city, including at the intersection of 18th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard just down from Philadelphia's City Hall, according to NBC Philadelphia. 

Although the franchise is working to have the pro-Harris adverts scrubbed, owner Jeffrey Lurie is said to have previously offered sentiments against her opponent, Donald Trump. 

During league meetings in October 2017 - just weeks after Trump made inflammatory comments about the NFL and its players - Lurie offered strong anti-Trump sentiments. 

The franchise said it is working to have the adverts removed from around Philadelphia 

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is said to have previously offered sentiments against Donald Trump

'Another fact I want to throw out there: Many of us have no interest in supporting President Trump,' Lurie said, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times. 'Yes, there are some. There are some players who do, too.'

'But this is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one [expletive] disastrous presidency,' he added.

Lurie is considered to be one of the NFL's most liberal owners, having obtained a doctoral degree in social policy.

He joined his players in linking arms during the playing of the national anthem at their 2017 home opener against the New York Giants. 

Although no Eagles players knelt during the anthem, safety Malcolm Jenkins, along with two other players, held their right fists in the air. It came one day after Trump had called for NFL players to be fired for kneeling during the national anthem. 

That season, the Eagles went on to become the first team to win the Super Bowl since the then-president's attacks on the league and its players. 

The debate surrounding the national anthem led to the White House cancelling the Eagles' visit - a tradition for all championship winning teams in the United States - in June 2018. 

'The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,' a statement from Trump at the time read. 

Malcolm Jenkins and two other players held their right fists in the air during the anthem in 2017

Trump had attacked the NFL and its players over the national anthem debate in 2017 

Philadelphia players Jenkins and Chris Long had previously said they would not attend the celebration and wide receiver Torrey Smith, who had since left the team, also said he did not plan to attend.

Lurie is believed to not want to put his players in a tough spot and eventually decided to send a smaller contingent of fewer than 10 players, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported, but that plan was dismissed by the Oval Office. 

In 2015, Lurie donated $2,700 to Hillary for America, a group supporting Hillary Clinton, according to the Federal Election Commission. 

He also has previously made donations to Obama for America, the Obama Victory Fund and the Philadelphia Democratic Party .