The Slatest

Confirmed: Bill Belichick Is a Trumpkin

Yep. This guy. Right here.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Multiple reports have confirmed that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick did indeed write a letter to Donald Trump supporting his presidential candidacy, thus partially solving the political mystery that’s been preoccupying the sports world since Monday night, and giving us all one more reason to despise the Pats.

Monday at a rally in New Hampshire, Trump told a giddy crowd that both Belichick and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had offered him their endorsements. The candidate then proceeded to read a note allegedly written by the coach:

Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable slanted and negative media, and have come out beautifully – beautifully. You’ve proved to be the ultimate competitor and fighter. Your leadership is amazing. I have always had tremendous respect for you, but the toughness and perseverance you have displayed over the past year is remarkable. Hopefully tomorrow’s election results will give the opportunity to make America great again. Best wishes for great results tomorrow.

Some pundits were skeptical that the letter had really been written by Belichick, given its somewhat Trumpish syntax, and the fact that the coach isn’t even that effusive after a Super Bowl win. But both CSN New England and WBZ TV’s Steve Burton have confirmed that the missive was, indeed, legit. One twist: the Nation’s Dave Zirin reports on Twitter that despite Trump’s claims, Belichick did not intend for the letter to be read out loud. Oops.

Of course, all this still leaves open questions about Brady’s political allegiances. On the one hand, it seems plausible that he endorsed Trump, given that he kept a damn Make America Great Again cap in the his locker during the primary and describes the candidate as a friend. On the other, Brady’s wife, supermodel and entrepreneur Gisele Bundchen, told a fan on Instagram three days ago that she and her trophy husband were not, in fact, backing the Republican nominee. And personally, I imagine that in the Brady-Bundchen household, what Gisele says goes.

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