Bill Belichick, top coach of the National Football League (NFL), refused to accept the United States Presidential Freedom Medal, the country’s highest civilian honor, citing last week’s deadly Capitol Hill riot.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach said he changed his mind after President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building – the seat of the US Congress – robbing offices and leaving threatening messages.
“Above all, I am an American citizen with great respect for the values, freedom and democracy of our nation,” Belichick said in a statement Monday, adding that he represented his family and the New England Patriots team.
The coach, who earlier felt flattered by the opportunity to receive the medal, said he would continue his efforts working in the field of social justice, equality and human rights “while remaining faithful to the people, team and country they love outweigh the benefits of any individual award. ”.
Critics have blamed Trump’s incendiary speech for triggering the worst violence in the Capitol in two centuries. Five people died during the assault.
A White House official said Sunday, four days after the riots, that Trump would award Belichick the medal – part of a late rain of presentations, including golfers Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and the late Babe Zaharias.
Sorenstam and Player accepted their awards at a private ceremony the day after the violence in Washington, DC.
Belichick’s decision, which has backed 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 provoked a positive reaction on social networks.
“Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You did the right thing, “Bob Ryan, an emeritus journalist from the Boston Globe, wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations, Bill Belichick. You did the right thing.
– Bob Ryan (@GlobeBobRyan) January 12, 2021
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, who previously asked Belichick to turn down the award, welcomed the move.
“This president is not suitable to be in office, so everything he would offer someone does not make sense. Thank you, Coach Belichick, for rejecting the Trump award, “the senator said on Twitter.
This president is not fit to be in office, so everything he would give someone makes no sense.
Thank you, Coach Belichick, for rejecting the Trump award. https://t.co/qyxWJT5VAd
– Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 12, 2021
Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick occasionally entered politics.
In 2016, Trump read a brilliant letter from Belichick while on the campaign trail, in which the coach praised his courage and leadership. 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 just to support a friend.
The coach’s support for Trump was criticized by some fans, but it did not seem to affect his position with the players in the locker room. Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, is also friendly with Trump.
The US president has had a long battle with the NFL for players kneeling during the national anthem, a move first adopted by some black players to protest racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Trump has called on the league to ban players from “taking the knee” in protest.
Tense relations between the team’s players and the president have appeared 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 programs.
After George Floyd’s death this summer, the Patriots praised Belichick for providing them with an open forum to express their feelings about racial and social injustice in America.