Administration

Trump to appoint Belichick to White House Sports Council: report

President Trump is appointing New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to his Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, Axios reported Friday.

The council will reportedly include a number of well-known figures, including TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, former NFL star Herschel Walker, former baseball star Mariano Rivera, golfer Natalie Gulbis and Olympic volleyball player Misty May-Treanor.

Trump appeared on Dr. Oz’s show during the 2016 campaign to discuss his health and reveal the results of a brief health evaluation by his then-doctor Harold Bornstein.

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Trump is reportedly planning to host a “sports field day” at the White House’s South Lawn “in the coming months.”

The Axios report notes that Trump’s version of the council will place more emphasis on encouraging children to play sports. Under former President Obama, it was called the Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition and put the focus on eating right and healthier school lunches.

Trump has been longtime friends with Belichick, a legendary NFL coach who has won five Super Bowls. Trump frequently talked up his links to Belichick and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during the campaign and shared a letter from Belichick endorsing him days before the election.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that White House chief of staff John Kelly had noted Trump recently spent a “long time” on the phone with Belichick discussing Brady’s status with the team.

Brady called Trump a “good friend” and confirmed he had a “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker in 2015.