New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick turned down President Trump’s invitation to the presidential medal of freedom following last week’s riots at the US Capitol.
Belichick, who had previously spoken publicly about his friendship with the president, agreed to receive the country’s highest civilian honor after Trump offered it a week ago. That was before a crowd of the president’s supporters besieged the Capitol and killed five people.
The news of the offer to Belichick only came to light on Sunday, asking whether the most capable coach in football history would stand by his friend in the midst of controversy.
Belichick’s pivot is a sharp rebuke from a president who has faced calls from Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans to remove him from office. His decision comes days after Trump awarded the medal to Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam, two of the best golfers of all time. Player and Sorenstam have been criticized for killing the president in the wake of recent events.
Belichick’s decision comes when the pockets of the sports world that Trump supported rushed to distance themselves from the president during his last days in office. Late Sunday, the PGA of America took the coveted 2022 PGA Championship out of the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, with the organization’s president Jim Richerson saying, ‘It has become clear that the PGA Championship is running on Trump Bedminster will harm the PGA of America. brand. ”