Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 47,660
Thanks: 27,646
Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts
|
NFLs’ Most Successful Coach 'Stands Up' to TRUMP
Bill Belichick Was Feared But Never Loved. Then He Stood Up to TRUMP
Over the years, the NFLs’ most successful coach has earned plenty of criticism. On Monday he scored perhaps the greatest victory of his career
- He turned down the presidential medal of freedom after a Maga mob’s violent assault on the Capitol.
The Guardian UK, 12 JAN 2021.
.
Let’s start with a simple truth: Bill Belichick is a damn good football coach. Let’s take that further: after leading the New England Patriots to nine Super Bowls, and winning six, Belichick has built a very strong case to be the greatest head coach in NFL history. Here is another unavoidable truth: Belichick has also earned a staggering amount of criticism in his 46-year career. Then, on Monday he did what many thought unthinkable. Belichick, a taciturn old-school curmudgeon who seemed the very opposite of the progressive movement that has opposed Donald Trump, turned down the presidential medal of freedom after a Maga mob’s violent assault on the Capitol.
On Monday night, Belichick released a statement saying that he would be passing on the honor. “Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the presidential medal of freedom,” the statement read, “which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients. Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award.”
The passive voice of the statement, “the decision has been made,” suggests that this wasn’t solely Belichick’s call, but even so, he should be praised for ultimately doing the right thing. In rejecting Trump, Belichick is doing something that many of the president’s friends and allies have refused to do despite the events of the last week.
And make no mistake, until this moment, Belichick has fully established himself as being in Trump’s corner. When Trump was on the campaign trail back in 2016, he proudly shared a fawning letter apparently written by Belichick. “Congratulations on a tremendous campaign,” it began, in language that sounded suspiciously like Trump had written it himself. “You have dealt with an unbelievable slanted and negative media and have come out beautifully. Beautifully.” Considering Trump’s history of fabricating stories, there was justifiable skepticism that Belichick had actually written the letter.
'NBA players weren't surprised by DC. We live with white supremacy every day' -Etan Thomas
Belichick, however, quickly declared his support of Trump. “Our friendship goes back many years,” he said, “and I think that anybody who’s spent more than five minutes with me knows I’m not a political person.” For someone like Trump, who judges people on how lavishly they praise him, this alone was probably enough for Belichick to earn America’s highest civilian honor.
Given how easy Trump is given to slights, there’s a good chance that Belichick’s decision, no matter how delicately phrased in this statement, has ended their friendship.
Beyond the personal ramifications, Belichick has turned down what would be, in most circumstances, the country’s most prestigious honor. It’s not something one does lightly and it’s an action that could very well surprise Belichick’s critics who have criticized the head coach for his “win at all costs” mentality.
Belichick’s Patriots, after all, have been at the center of two high-profile cheating scandals. Most notoriously, there was 2007’s Spygate in which the Patriots were penalized for illegally taping their opponents’ signals, followed by 2015’s Deflategate. The latter was a decidedly silly affair, one which Belichick claimed complete ignorance of, but it added fuel to the fire to those who would put an asterisk next to the entirety of the Brady-Belichick era Pats. How much the Patriots have benefited from these incidents remains an open question, but Belichick’s coaching strategy clearly has involved – to some extent – playing fast and loose with the rules. Come to think of it, it’s possible that Trump saw him as a kindred spirit because of this as well.
In any case, even if he hadn’t had these blemishes on his coaching career, Belichick’s public-facing personality would have also guaranteed him a spot among the league’s least-loved figures.
Beyond acting as the head coach, Belichick is also involved with putting together the on-field product. There is little sentimentality in Patriots-land, Belichick the GM does not hesitate to move on from even beloved players, whether he thinks they are due for a decline or simply will be too big of a salary cap hit. He’s also earned a reputation of being an on-field taskmaster.
|