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Bill Belichick: NFL fans urge Patriots coach to refuse Trump's Medal of Freedom, threaten to 'disown' him

The president is facing calls to resign in the wake of the Capitol riots, which many are saying he incited

President Donald Trump is planning to spend the final days of his office by making last-minute use of his presidential powers as he faces calls to resign in the wake of the Capitol riots. The commander-in-chief made waves when it emerged he was planning on awarding the legendary NFL head coach the Medal of Freedom, sparking a backlash from a number of NFL fans. Trump plans to take a ceremonial victory lap before moving out of the White House - his itinerary reportedly includes a trip to the border to see the progress of the wall, a number of pardons in the works, as well as an award ceremony to celebrate the achievements of one of his favorite football coaches and top ally.

The president plans to award Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) the highest civilian honor on Monday. The following day he plans to visit a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Alamo, Texas. On Thursday, according to a White House official, Trump plans to award New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Politico reported.

It's worth noting that Belichick has been a pal and strong supporter of Trump in the past. He even sent him a letter on the eve of his 2016 election victory. While it is unclear where their relationship stands today, one would think it is still strong considering the president is planning to award the NFL coach the highest civilian honor in the country.

However, a number of Patriots fans joined never Trumpers in calling for Belichick to refuse the honor after what ensued at the US Capitol last week.

"There's no way Bill Belichick should accept this," sports writer Joe Haggerty tweeted.

"Accepting a medal from Trump, now, in the aftermath, is the latest deal-breaker in a run of like 100 deal-breakers. My fandom had already lapsed. But I hope neither Belichick nor Kraft ever wins another game in the NFL and the franchise is left in ruins," Ken Tremendous added.

"If this story about Bill Belichick accepting a Medal of Freedom from the disgraced occupant of the White House is true, he’s dead to me. Say it ain’t so, Bill. I sincerely hope this is Fake News," sports columnist Bob Ryan chimed in.

"If Belichick accepts this from Trump, it seems like they better stop calling them the Patriots," author Bill McKibben wrote.

"Ironic that the leader of an insurrection is giving an award to the leader of the ⁦@Patriots⁩. There’s nothing patriotic about sedition. Belichick should be ashamed to accept an award from a disgrace of a man who got a police officer beat to death," Democrat Moe Davis added.

"I dropped my childhood idol, Bobby Orr, when he endorsed Trump in October. And I will disown Bill Belichick if he accepts a Presidential Medal of Freedom from this piece of trash....particularly now," Former NAA President Jonathan Gaffney wrote.

Trump has continued to pursue a normal schedule of events despite facing backlash from his critics and being censored across all major social media platforms in the aftermath of the riots. He awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to professional golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, and this week's events will also bear a similar backdrop, according to Politico.

Meanwhile, Democrats may vote to impeach Trump as early as Tuesday based on claims that he incited violence at the Capitol, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told Fox News on Sunday.