Bill Belichick, a leading coach of the National Football League (NFL), refused to accept the U.S. presidential freedom medal, the country’s highest civilian honor, citing the deadly riot at Capitol Hill last week.
The six-time Super Bowl coach said he changed his mind after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building – the seat of the US Congress – and walked through offices, leaving threatening messages.
“Above all, I am an American citizen with great respect for the values, freedom and democracy of our country,” Belichick said in a statement issued Monday, adding that he represents his family and the New England Patriots team.
The coach, who previously said he would have the opportunity to receive the medal, said he would continue his work on social justice, equality and human rights “while staying true to people, team and country I love, heavier weigh as the benefits of any individual award ”.
Critics have accused an arsonist of Trump of causing the worst violence in the Capitol in more than two centuries. Five people died during the assault.
A White House official said on Sunday, four days after the riots, that Trump would award the medal to Belichick – part of a late wave of offers that also included golfers Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and the late Babe Zaharias.
Sorenstam and Player accepted their awards in a private ceremony the day after the violence in Washington, DC.
The decision by Belichick, who has supported Trump in the past, is another blow to an increasingly isolated US president. Several of his top advisers have resigned in recent days, citing Wednesday’s violence.
The news that Belichick refused the Medal of Freedom sparked a positive reaction on social media.
‘Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You have Done The Right Thing, ‘Bob Ryan, an emeritus of the Boston Globe sports columnist, wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You did the right thing.
– Bob Ryan (@GlobeBobRyan) 12 January 2021
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, who had earlier encouraged Belichick to refuse the award, welcomed the move.
“This president is not fit to be in office, and therefore there is no sense he would give to anyone. “Thank you, Coach Belichick, for rejecting Trump’s award,” the senator said on Twitter.
This president is not fit to be in office, and therefore there is no sense he would give to anyone.
Thank you, Coach Belichick, for rejecting Trump’s award. https://t.co/qyxWJT5VAd
– Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) 12 January 2021
Although he described himself as apolitical, Belichick occasionally fell into politics.
In 2016, Trump read a glowing letter from Belichick while on the campaign, in which the coach praised his courage and leadership. Although Trump said the letter offered “best wishes for good results” on election day and “is the opportunity to make America great again,” Belichick said it was simply to support a friend.
Some fans criticized the coach’s support for Trump, but it apparently had no bearing on his position with players in the locker room. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also friendly with Trump.
The U.S. president has had a long-running battle with the NFL over players kneeling during the national anthem, a gesture first adopted by some black players to protest racial differences in the criminal justice system. Trump has called on the league to ban players from protesting to ‘take the knee’.
Scattered ties between the team’s players and the president have surfaced on various occasions, including in 2019 when the Patriots did not attend a regular White House event to celebrate the Super Bowl victory, citing conflicting schedules. .
In the wake of George Floyd’s death this summer, Patriots players praised Belichick for hosting an open forum to express their feelings about race and social injustice in America.