[ad_1]
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declines President Donald Trump’s offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach cites the deadly siege of the US Capitol when he says “the decision has been made not to go ahead with the award.”
By AP
Last update: 12/01/21 7:15 am
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots met with President Donald Trump at the White House in 2017
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick announced that he will not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying that “staying true to the people, the team and the country I love outweighs the benefits of any individual award.”
In a delicately worded one-paragraph statement, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach did not explicitly say he had turned down the offer from President Donald Trump, whom he called a friend.
Instead, Belichick explained, “a decision was made not to go ahead with the award” in the wake of last week’s deadly siege of the United States Capitol.
A White House official said Sunday, four days after the riots, that Trump would bestow Belichick with the nation’s highest civilian honor, part of a series of presentations 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 Trump supporters stormed the US Senate and House of Representatives. Five people were killed in the chaos, including the United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Belichick was to be honored on Thursday.
“I was flattered … out of respect for what the honor and admiration for previous recipients represents,” the coach said in a statement.
Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision was made not to proceed with the award. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom, and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. “
Patriots head coach Belichick (left) and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (right) presented President Trump with a New England Patriots jersey in 2017.
Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick has dabbled in politics on occasion.
The architect of the Patriots dynasty wrote Trump a letter of support that the candidate read aloud the night before the 2016 election at a rally in New Hampshire, a stronghold of the team’s fandom.
Although Trump said the letter offered “best wishes for great results” on Election Day and “the opportunity to make America great again,” Belichick said it was simply to support a friend.
Belichick also wore an Armenian flag pin at the White House in 2015 when the team celebrated its fourth Super Bowl victory, which is believed to be a sign of support for the team’s director of soccer, Berj Najarian, who is of Armenian descent. .
Last month, Belichick called on the US government to take action against Turkey and Azerbaijan for “violent and unprovoked attacks against Armenians.”
In the wake of George Floyd’s death this summer, Patriots players praised Belichick for providing an open forum for them to express their feelings about race and social injustice in America. In his statement Monday, Belichick called that “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 came to the fore and turned into action,” he said.
“Continuing those efforts while remaining true to the people, the team and the country I love, outweighs the benefits of any individual award.”
[ad_2]