Bill Belichick should do the right thing and say: ‘No thanks.’” “Look at who he is giving it to in the last weeks – people like Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan – I mean, please. “This President has made a mockery of the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” he said. Jim McGovern told CNN earlier Monday that Belichick should “refuse it.” Still, Belichick had faced repeated calls to decline the Presidential Medal of Freedom given the President’s response to the US Capitol breach. My comments are not politically motivated. Anybody who spends more than five minutes with me knows I’m not a political person. He told reporters after Trump gushed about the letter: “Our friendship goes back many years. In 2016, he wrote a letter of support to Trump. Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy.”Ī White House official told CNN the White House was made aware of the decision.īelichick has been the Patriots’ head coach since 2000 and has won six Super Bowls, a NFL record for a head coach. “Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. “Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients,” Belichick said in a statement. House Democrats want to impeach Trump, accusing him of “incitement of insurrection.” Five people died as a result of the chaos, including a US Capitol Police officer. Pro-Trump rioters rampaged in the US Capitol last Wednesday. If the Patriots lose to the Jets and fall to 2-6, Belichick may be facing a much worse fate than a subpoena.New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has announced that he is declining the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he was scheduled to receive from President Donald Trump on Thursday.īelichick cited the “tragic events of last week” as leading to his decision. New England will next take the field against the winless New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 9. On the football field, Belichick’s Patriots are 2-5 and have an uphill battle to get to. “Bielema benefited … and the Patriots (and by extension Belichick) benefited by hiring a coach with years of college head coaching experience and three Rose Bowls for next to no pay. The Counter-Defendants fraudulently obtained, with Cornrich’s assistance, buyout payments that Bielema used like ‘unemployment benefits’ to support his affluent lifestyle for more than a year while he built an NFL resume so that he could obtain a high paying NFL position job once the Release Agreement (and his corresponding obligation to offset the Foundation’s buyout payments) expired.” “The Foundation expressly pleaded that helping the Patriots hire Bielema for a low salary benefitted both of Cornrich’s clients and therefore benefitted Cornrich,” the organization wrote in court papers Tuesday. Now, The Razorback Foundation has subpoenaed Belichick and is seeking documents that would show Bielema and his agent Neil Cornrich (who also represents Belichick) intentionally got the former Arkansas coach hired for a small sum. In the midst of a rocky NFL season for his team, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is being dragged into a legal battle between one of his former assistant coaches and the University of Arkansas, according to The Athletic.īret Bielema, who worked under Belichick in 20 after he was fired from his head coaching position at Arkansas, is engaged in litigation with the fundraising arm of the school, The Razorback Foundation.īielema received a nearly $12 million buyout when he was fired by Arkansas and, under the terms of the agreement, was obligated to find employment that paid a set amount that would offset the amount of the payment.īut since the job Bielema took under Belichick only paid $125,000 annually, the buyout amount was not reduced because his pay was less than the minimum that was agreed upon in the contract.
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