Bill Belichick’s letter to Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election caused problems in the New England Patriots’ locker room, according to a forthcoming book by ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham.
After Trump read a letter he received from Belichick — who called the presidential candidate “the ultimate competitor and fighter” and congratulated him on “a tremendous campaign” — at a rally in New Hampshire, multiple Patriots players considered boycotting practice in protest, per Wickersham’s reporting.
An unnamed Patriots player called Belichick’s subsequent justification for the letter “hypocritical.”
From ESPN’s preview piece on “It’s Better to Be Feared”:
In 2016, after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump read a letter of support from Belichick at a campaign rally, Patriots assistant coach Brian Flores told Belichick that several players were angry and that he “needed to say something” to the team. Belichick addressed the team, but it didn’t help initially. Many players felt he was being disingenuous. “It was hypocritical and out of character,” a Patriots player recalled. “I don’t think he’s an intolerant coach. He isn’t a bad guy. Bill just f—ed up and justified it in a way that he would never accept from a player.” After the meeting, a small group of Patriots players considered boycotting practice but then reconsidered.
In his first news conference after Trump’s reading, Belichick said the letter was motivated by “friendship,” not politics.
“Our friendship goes back many years,” he said in November 2016. “Anybody who’s spent more than five minutes with me knows I’m not a political person. My comments are not politically motivated. I have a friendship and loyalty to Donald. A couple weeks ago, we had Secretary of State (John) Kerry in our locker room, another friend of mine. I can’t imagine two people with more different political views than those two. To me, friendship and loyalty, it’s just about that. It’s not about political or religious views. I write hundreds of letters and notes every month. It doesn’t mean I agree with every single thing that every person thinks about politics, religion and other subjects. I have wonderful friendships that are important to me. That’s what that was about.”
Trump offered to award Belichick with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the final days of his presidency, but the Patriots coach declined in the wake of the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Wickersham’s book is scheduled for an Oct. 12 release.
