By Tim McLaughlin
BOSTON (Reuters) – A plan by U.S. President Donald Trump to give Bill Belichick, the legendary coach of the New England Patriots, the Medal of Freedom this week has worried some fans that accepting it would tarnish the football team’s franchise and wreck chances of rebuilding a dynasty that had its first losing season since 2000.
Politico reported on Sunday night that Trump would bestow the highest civilian honor on Belichick. A person familiar with Trump’s plans confirmed the report’s accuracy.
The Boston-based Patriots and Belichick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
With Trump facing an attempt by Congressional Democrats to remove him from office after his supporters’ deadly storming of the Capitol last week, the news of the medal has stirred widespread negative reaction on social media.
“If this story about Bill Belichick accepting a Medal of Freedom from the disgraced occupant of the White House is true, he’s dead to me,” Bob Ryan, a Boston Globe sports columnist emeritus, wrote on Twitter. “Say it ain’t so, Bill.”
In 2016, Trump read a glowing letter from Belichick while on the campaign trail, in which the coach praised his courage and leadership. It was criticized by some fans, but did not seem to affect Belichick’s standing with players in the locker room. Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, is also friendly with Trump.
Trump has had a long running fight with the NFL over players kneeling during the national anthem, a gesture that was first adopted by some Black players to protest against racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Trump called on the league to ban players from kneeling in protest.
In the Patriots’ home state of Massachusetts, Trump received only 32% of votes cast in the presidential election in November. President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president on Jan. 20.
“Bill is on the spot here,” said Dan Shaughnessy, a long-time sports columnist for the Boston Globe. “If he receives the award, it makes things difficult for him in his locker room and in this community.”
Belichick needs good relations with players and prospective free agents as the Patriots attempt to plug a number of deficiencies on its roster.
Belichick’s teams have won a record six Super Bowl championships in the National Football League. But this season the Patriots posted a 7-9 win-loss record without star quarterback Tom Brady, who is gunning for a seventh win with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gerry Callahan, a conservative former sports columnist at the Boston Herald, said on his podcast on Monday that it was likely Belichick would not accept the award.
But if he did, despite the outcry, “wouldn’t it just be a wonderful act of defiance?”, Callahan said.
(Reporting by Tim McLaughlin, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
