Tom Brady made national news last week when he opted not to answer a question he fielded about his thoughts on Donald Trump. On WEEI this morning, Brady cleared some things up by describing his relationship with the Republican candidate for president.
"I met him probably 15, 16 years ago," Brady told the Kirk and Callahan Show. "We’ve played golf together many, many times and I’ve always had a good time with him. He’s been a friend of mine. He’s supported our team. He’s supported the Patriots. He’s been on the Patriots sideline a lot. He’s always called me after games to encourage me over the course of 15 years. That’s kind of the way it is."
Brady did not, however, say if he would vote for Trump in this year's election -- "Yeah, I’ll vote," he said. "Maybe we’ll talk about it after Super Tuesday or whatever it is." -- and he didn't get into what he thinks is appropriate "locker room talk."
There were those last week who were critical of Brady for not having commented on Trump and using his platform as perhaps the country's most recognizable athlete to speak his mind when it came to Trump. Brady has spoken about Trump in the past, and his relationship with Trump came under the spotlight last year when a "Make America Great Again" hat was seen in his locker.
Just this past weekend, Trump mentioned Brady at a rally in New Hampshire.
"I have so many great friends in New England, including Tom Brady and Coach Belichick. How good is Tom? Remember last year, he had the red hats?"
On Monday, Brady explained why he hasn't exactly jumped at the chance to talk politics lately. In essence . . . team policy.
New England Patriots
"Obviously there’s a lot of headlines to make, and I’ve tried not to make a lot of headlines," Brady said. "I’ve been in an organization where we’re taught to say very little, we have respect for our opponents and we don’t do the trash-talking.
"The thing I’ve always thought is I don’t want to be a distraction for the team. That’s what my goal is. Not that there are things I’ve said and done that haven’t been, but you try not to be. It’s just hard enough to win and prepare without the distractions so when you start having the distractions it’s even harder to prepare. You try to do the best that you [can] do."