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Tom Brady made the news on Thursday after opening up about his relationship with former US President Donald Trump. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said the media "mischaracterized a lot" regarding his friendship with Trump. Brady said that he hasn't spoken to the former president "in a lot of years."
While Tom Brady seems adamant that he isn't close to the 76-year-old Republican anymore, the quarterback was friends with Trump many years ago. He also expressed his support for Trump on several occasions
One such incident happened in 2015 when a 'Make America Great Again' hat was spotted in his locker room. 'Make America Great Again', popularly abbreviated as 'MAGA', was the slogan of Donald Trump's presidential campaign for the 2016 election.
A red hat with the slogan was spotted in Brady's locker at Gillette Stadium when the quarterback was giving a routine interview to the media. The 44-year-old was with the New England Patriots back then.
Later that year, he spoke in support of Trump, stating "it would be great" if he won the 2016 election. As quoted by NBC Sports, the quarterback said:
"“I hope so (that Trump wins the election). That would be great. There would be a putting green on the White House lawn. I’m sure of that.”
Tom Brady admitted Trump was a "friend"
The Buccaneers star even admitted to the media that Trump was his friend. The seven-time Super Bowl champion praised Trump for his unique career path. Trump had a successful career as a businessman, a TV star and a politician. During a radio interview with WEEI, Tom Brady was quoted saying:
"Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say. He’s a good friend of mine."
He added:
"He’s always been so supportive of me -- for the last 15 years, since I judged a beauty pageant for him, which was one of the very first things that I did that I thought was really cool. That came along with winning the Super Bowl. He’s always invited me to play golf. I’ve always enjoyed his company."
Trump won the 2016 election by beating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He ended up being a very polarizing figure during his tenure as the POTUS from 2017 to 2021.
With regards to the NFL, the former president was infamously critical of the movement started by free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Trump even advocated that the league should fire players who kneel in protest during the national anthem.
Tom Brady spoke out against Trump's views, stating he was 'divisive'. During a post-game interview in 2017, he said:
“Yeah, I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive. Like I said, I just want to support my teammates.”
Over the last few years, Tom Brady has distanced himself from Trump, majorly due to the difference in political views. In 2020, he inadvertently admitted that he could not 'undo' things regarding his friendship with the 76-year-old. The recent interview most likely shuts down the possibility of the duo speaking out in support of each other.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Pro Football Talk, WEEI and H/T Sportskeeda
