Bill Belichick, a top National Football League (NFL) coach, has declined to accept the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, citing last week’s deadly riot on Capitol Hill.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach said he had changed his mind after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol – the seat of the United States Congress -, searched offices and left threatening messages.
“Most of all, I am an American citizen with great respect for the values, freedom and democracy of our country,” Belichick said in a statement Monday, adding that he represented his family and the New England Patriots team.
The coach, who previously said he was flattered by the opportunity to receive the medal, said he would continue his efforts to work for social justice, equality and human rights’ while remaining loyal to the people, team and country I belong to. love, outweigh the benefits of each individual award ”.
Critics have blamed an inflammatory speech by Trump for causing the worst violence in the Capitol in more than two centuries. Five people died in the attack.
A White House official said Sunday, four days after the riot, Trump would present Belichick with the medal – part of a recent series of presentations that also included golfers Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and the late Babe Zaharias.
Sorenstam and Player received their awards at a private ceremony the day after the violence in Washington, DC.
Belichick’s decision, who has backed Trump in the past, is another blow to an increasingly isolated US president. Several of its top advisers have resigned in recent days, citing Wednesday’s violence.
The news that Belichick was declining the Medal of Freedom sparked a positive response on social media.
Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You have Done The Right Thing, ”Bob Ryan, Boston Globe sports columnist emeritus, wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You did the right thing.
– Bob Ryan (@GlobeBobRyan) January 12, 2021
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, who previously urged Belichick to decline the award, welcomed the decision.
This president is not fit to hold office, so anything he would give someone is pointless. Thank you, Coach Belichick, for rejecting Trump’s award, ”the senator said on Twitter.
This president is not fit to serve, so anything he would bestow on someone is pointless.
Thank you, Coach Belichick, for declining Trump’s award. https://t.co/qyxWJT5VAd
– Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 12, 2021
Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick has wriggled into politics at times.
In 2016, Trump read a glowing letter from Belichick during the campaign trail, praising the coach’s courage and leadership. Although Trump said the letter offered “ best wishes for great results ” on Election Day and “ an opportunity to make America great again, ” Belichick said it was just to support a friend.
The coach’s support for Trump has been criticized by some fans, but did not appear to affect his position with players in the locker room. Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, is also friends with Trump.
The US 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 inequalities in the criminal justice system. Trump called on the league to forbid players to “take the knee” in protest.
Tense relationships between the team’s players and the president surfaced on several occasions, including in 2019 when the Patriots were absent from a customary White House event to celebrate the Super Bowl victory, citing conflicting schematics.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death this summer, Patriots players praised Belichick for providing them with an open forum to express their feelings about race and social injustice in America.