The New England Patriots‘ Bill Belichick declined Donald Trump’s Medal of Freedom, and Tom Brady hasn’t publicly spoken the President’s name for some time, but as the unsavory and sad last few days of 45’s term wind down, the two NFL legends are being taken to task for their relationships with the controversial leader.
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Will Leitch: ‘The Trump Stink’ on Bill Belichick and Tom Brady
Jay Maxson of News Busters springboarded off the article written by The Intelligencer’s Will Leitch. In Leitch’s article, he asked the question, “how much of the Trump stink will stick to” Belichick and Brady?
Leitch talked about Belichick’s carefully worded public statement announcing his declining of Trump’s MOF, which was widely suspected to be a diversion tactic by a desperate President facing a second impeachment and the backlash from his part in inciting the recent riots on the nation’s capitol in D.C.
Leitch wrote:
Maybe Belichick believed all that, or maybe he was just saying it to appease his players, but it’s certainly not Trumpian language. The world of sports is, more than anything, a world of corporations, and corporations, like many Americans, are terrified of having anything to do with the president anymore. The bad news for Belichick is that turning down Trump’s offer may not buy him any goodwill anyway. It’s easier for the corporate world, after all, to pretend its past support of Trump didn’t happen: Average people don’t really know or care who runs those places. But they know Tom Brady and they know Bill Belichick. (And they know Herschel Walker and Curt Schilling.) After this unforgettable past week, it’s also going to be hard to forget how these giants of the game decided to associate themselves with someone like Trump.
The tone of Leitch’s piece was more informative with a touch of opinion. He points out the history behind the friendships between Trump and Belichick and the former Patriots quarterback. He acknowledges the problem with association with Trump these days and shares this as the reason most companies are choosing to steer clear of him.
Maxson digs in deeper with a slightly more opinionated shovel, but with a tone that may exaggerate Leitch’s point of view and may even mock it. Yet, he still uses stronger language.
Maxson: ‘He Must Be Canceled’
It seems pretty clear, Maxson doesn’t believe Belichick or Brady should be canceled. However, here is his spiel on Leitch’s mentions of the duo’s dealings with Trump.
Save Herschel Walker and Curt Schilling, who reaped scorn from Leitch for continuing to support the president, Trump’s sports pals and political counterparts have run screaming for the exits. Belichick has since declined the president’s award. That’s not good enough for Leitch, though, because his headline proclaims the coach cannot escape his tainted relationship with President Trump that easily. He must be canceled. Which brings Leitch around to his next cancellation target: Brady, now with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Despite a past association with Trump and displaying the MAGA hat, Brady has spent the last five years keeping as much distance as he could from the president, Leitch says. Brady even skipped a team visit to the White House to celebrate a Super Bowl championship.
The friendships are a little troubling because of the carnage that has been left in the wake of Trump’s presidency. However, if we were all judged by the people we once called friends or ever associated with, many of us wouldn’t be seen fit for several things.
Belichick and Brady deserve the chance to assess what Trump represents currently and to make their decision on how they will interact with him. If they both continue to offer support, in the wake of all that has happened, it becomes a different story. As it is, there isn’t much of a story.
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Bill Belichick and Tom Brady Boded to Carry ‘Stink’ of Troubling Friendship