New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on Monday night that he will not receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In a statement, Belichick said "remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award." The six-time Super Bowl winning coach did not say explicitly that he had turned down the offer from President Donald Trump.
But he said "the decision has been made not to move forward with the award."
Although he describes himself as apolitical, Belichick wrote Trump a letter during the 2016 presidential campaign that the candidate read aloud at a rally in the days before the election.
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