New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick does not accept President Donald Trump’s offer for the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the six-time Super Bowl coach announces the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol when he says “it was decided not to proceed with the trophy”
The AP
Last updated: 12/01/21 7:15 am
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots met with President Donald Trump at the White House back in 2017
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has announced that he will not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying “living true to my favorite people, team and country outweighs any individual award benefits”.
In a one-paragraph statement with calm words, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach did not clearly say he rejected the offer from President Donald Trump, whom he has called a friend.
Instead, Belichick explained, “the decision not to proceed with the award was made” after last week’s deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol.
A White House official said on Sunday, four days after the riots, that Trump would give Belichick the highest civilian honor in the country – part of a late show of demonstrations that also included golfers. Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and the late Babe Zaharias.
Sorenstam and Player accepted their awards at a private ceremony the day after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Five people died in the crash, including Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol police officer. Belichick was to be honored Thursday.
“I was flat … out of respect for what the honor represents and respects previous recipients,” the coach said in a statement.
“After that, the tragic events of last week happened and it was decided not to proceed with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great respect for the values, freedom and democracy of the country. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. “
The New England Patriots jersey was presented to President Trump by Patriots head coach Belichick (L) and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (R) back in 2017
While he says he is rude, Belichick has dived into politics at times.
The Patriots ’descendant architect wrote a letter of support for Trump that the candidate read out the night before the 2016 election at a gathering in New Hampshire, the foundation of the team’s fandom.
While Trump said the letter offered “good wishes for great results” on election day and “the opportunity to make America good again,” Belichick said it was only a matter of supporting a friend.
Belichick was also throwing an Armenian flag pin to the White House in 2015 when the team celebrated their fourth Super Bowl victory – believed to be a sign of support for the team’s football director, Berj Najarian, who are of Armenian descent.
Last month, Belichick called on the US government to take action against Turkey and Azerbaijan for “unprepared and violent attacks against Armenians”.
After the death of George Floyd in the summer, Patriots players praised Belichick for providing them with an open forum for expressing their feelings on racism and social injustice in America. In his statement on Monday, Belichick stated that this is “one of the most rewarding things in my professional career. “
“Through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actionable,” he said.
“By continuing these efforts while remaining loyal to my favorite people, team and country they are reaping the benefits of any individual award. “