New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has said he will not receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump following last week’s riots at the US Capitol.
Belichick, who had previously spoken publicly about his friendship with the president, would 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.
“Recently, I had the opportunity to receive the presidential medal of freedom, in which I was flattered out of respect for what honor represents and admiration for previous recipients,” Belichick said in a statement. “The tragic events of last week took place as a result and it was decided not to continue with the award.”
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.
Although Belichick’s statement did not mention Trump by name, it amounts to a sharp reprimand from a president who was acted by 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 said he knows he also represents his family and the Patriots, adding that the team’s social justice has been one of the most rewarding parts of his professional career over the past year. “To continue these efforts while remaining true to the people, the team and the country I love outweighs the benefits of an individual award,” he said in a statement.
Belichick’s pivot came when the pockets of the sports world that supported Trump rushed to distance themselves from the president during his last days of service. 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. ”
On Monday, the R&A, the body that oversees events such as the British Open, said it did not intend to hold its Scottish golf course championship in Trump, which hosted four British Open and two British Open. that the focus will be on the championship. ”
Belichick’s close association with Trump has been in public for some time. When Trump first ran for president in 2016, he read out a letter from Belichick during a rally praising him, asking the football coach to describe his “loyalty” to the president.
‘I think everyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows that I’m not a political person. “My comments are not politically motivated,” Belichick said in 2016. I have a friendship and a loyalty to Donald. ‘
Belichick, 68, has been the coach of the Patriots since 2000. He has won six Super Bowls, the most of any coach in NFL history. He was the son of a veteran of the Navy and spent much of his youth at the U.S. Navy Academy, where his father was a soccer coach.
Write to Andrew Beaton at [email protected] and Louise Radnofsky at [email protected]
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