NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre was among the critics of the recipients of Joe Biden’s Presidential Medals of Freedom over the weekend.
The outgoing Commander-in-Chief was scrutinized for his selections for the prestigious honor as he handed out the medals at the White House for his final time in office Saturday.
Soccer star Lionel Messi and NBA legend ‘Magic’ Johnson were the sole sports stars on the list, joining Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, senator and secretary of State, and Democratic super donor George Soros among 15 others.
And Favre, a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Green Bay Packers, was among the many taking aim at Biden for handing out the awards to certain recipients.
‘What words would you use to describe the White House medals that were given out because I’m honestly speechless,’ Favre, who has been a staunch supporting of incoming President Donald Trump, wrote on X.
Biden’s selection of Messi in particular had raised eyebrows within the sporting community online.
Brett Favre criticized the recipients of Joe Biden’s Presidential Medals of Freedom
The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback questioned the selections over the weekend
The Inter Miami star, who didn’t attend the ceremony, moved to the United States in the summer of 2023 in a blockbuster move orchestrated by David Beckham. He has played 39 times for the Major League Soccer team since then, without winning the MLS Cup so far.
The Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States and Biden’s selection of the Argentine led many to accuse him of lessening the significance of the award.
Messi reportedly skipped the glitzy ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.
Meanwhile, Biden’s presentation of the medal to Clinton, President-elect Trump’s 2016 White House rival, drew criticism due to her handling of the war in Libya as well as her controversial private email server for government business.
Biden also gave the award Soros, considered the boogeyman of Democratic super donors and restaurateur Jose Andres, who pulled out of a Trump H๏τel project due to the Republican’s anti-immigrant comments, prompting a years long legal battle.
Soros got the award, the White House said, due to his foundation’s work to ‘strengthen democracy, human rights, education, and social justice.’
Andres was awarded the distinction due to his charity World Central Kitchen’s efforts to feed people in war zones and in the aftermath of natural disasters.
Unlike Messi, Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, did collect his medal at the White House where he was seen crouching to allow Biden to wrap the medal round his neck.
Lionel Messi was named among the recipients but did not attend the ceremony
NBA legend Magic Johnson collected the prestigious honor at the White House Saturday
Biden drew criticism for some of the recipients, including Hillary Clinton, a former First Lady
Johnson then shared a handshake and a laugh with the outgoing president. He also posed for pictures with Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, who was honored on Saturday, too.
After the ceremony, Johnson released a statement, detailing his pride at being given the award.
‘I am so humbled and overwhelmed with emotion right now. It is an absolute honor and privilege that President Joe Biden selected me for the esteemed Presidential Medal of Freedom,’ he wrote on Instagram .
‘Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that this kid from Lansing, MI would one day grow up and receive one of the highest civilian awards of the United States.
‘To be in the company of so many remarkable individuals is both humbling and inspiring.’
Johnson thanked Biden for the award, which celebrated his success with the Lakers – and his work away from the court through the ‘Magic Johnson Foundation’.
