On Wednesday New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the letter he wrote to President-elect Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday's election. Belichick did not deny writing the note and said it was personal, not political in nature.
"I've received a number of inquiries relative to a note I wrote to Donald on Monday," he told reporters in an opening statement. "Our friendship goes back many years. And I think anybody that spends more than five minutes with me knows I'm not a political person. My comments are not politically motivated. It's friendship and loyalty to Donald. A couple weeks ago we had Secretary of State (John) Kerry in the locker room, another friend of mine. I can't imagine two people with more different political views than those two. But to me friendship and loyalty is just about that, it's not about political or religious views."
Sporting his patented terse nature, Belichick said he was focusing on Sunday's showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.
"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 or other subjects. I have multiple friendships that are important for me and that's what that was about.
"It's not about politics, it's about football. We've got a huge game this week against a great football team, great organization and that's where it all is going forward, on Seattle."
From there Belichick refused to further address the letter or Trump's presidency.
When asked whether he was annoyed that Trump read the letter at a New Hampshire rally, the coach responded only:
"Seattle."
When asked a follow-up question Belichick said "Seattle ... Seattle ... Seattle ... Seattle" over reporter's inquiry.
After successfully steering the conversation back to football, Belichick was asked if he could share any good memories he's had with Trump.
"Well, I can do a lot about that, but we're really just trying to focus on Seattle right here and it's a huge game for us, a great challenge, and that's where all the energy is going," Belichick said.
The Patriots coach was then asked if he repeatedly replied "Seattle" to squash the noise surrounding hype over his letter.
"This is where we are. It's Wednesday before Seattle. It's Seattle ... Thank you," he said before walking off the podium and ending the news conference.
"I talked to my wife. She said I can't talk about politics anymore," Brady said.
Massachusetts, home to the Patriots, voted 61 percent in favor of Hillary Clinton.
