UNITED STATES President Donald Trump lost another loyal supporter on Monday night when New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick announced that he would not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying: “Remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award.”

In a delicately worded one-paragraph statement, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach did not say explicitly that he had turned down the offer from Trump, whom he has called a friend.

Instead, Belichick explained, “the decision has been made not to move forward with the award” in the wake of last week’s deadly siege on the US Capitol.