Tom Brady has been linked to President Donald Trump for years, but that doesn’t mean the friends always agree. And the past few days have been a striking example of that.
POTUS was the talk of the sports world over the weekend after he said “NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired,'” at a rally in Alabama. And Trump continued his tweeting about protesting athletes into Monday.
There were multiple protests in response to Trump’s comments throughout the NFL on Sunday, including players kneeling and locking arms on the New England Patriots sideline during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to New England’s 36-33 win over the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium.
Brady was among the players locking arms, and he spoke about why he didn’t agree with Trump’s comments Monday morning in an interview with WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan.”
“Yeah, I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive,” Brady said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “Like I said, I just want to support my teammates. I am never one to say, ‘Oh, that is wrong. That is right.’ I do believe in what I believe in. I believe in bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Those are the values that my parents instilled in me. That is how I try and live every day.
“I have been blessed to be in locker rooms with guys all over the United States over the course of my career. Some of my great friends are from Florida, Virginia, New York, Montana, Colorado, Texas. The one thing about football is it brings so many guys together — guys you would never have the opportunity to be around. Whether it was in college, and all the way into the pros. We’re all different, we’re all unique. That is what makes us all special.”
Not everyone was happy with the Patriots’ protests, including their own booing fans. And Brady also touched upon that during the interview.
“Yeah, I did (hear the boos),” he said, via WEEI.com. “No, I think everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do. If you don’t agree, that is fine. You can voice your disagreement, I think that is great. It’s part of our democracy. As long as it is done in a peaceful, respectful way, that is what our country has been all about.”
Former Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light apparently has a different opinion, though.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
