While the picture of a MAGA hat sitting in Tom Brady’s locker is still ingrained in the minds of many, the former New England Patriots quarterback says he hasn’t spoken to Donald Trump in years and claims the media “mischaracterized” their relationship.
Brady was asked about his relationship with Trump in an interview with Variety, and he said he hasn’t talked to the former president in “a lot of years,” adding that he played golf with Trump “17 or 18 years ago,” saying, “I was so young. I got to go to a private golf course. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”
The current Tampa Bay quarterback stopped short of denouncing Trump, however, in response to being asked about the closeness of his relationship with Trump.
“I think [the press] just mischaracterized a lot,” Brady said. “And my personality isn’t ever one to insult anybody. I have plenty of my own flaws. I’m not here to point out anyone else’s flaws. There are things that I agree with. There are things that I don’t. There are things I agree with my wife about. There are things that I don’t. I love her to death, but we don’t always see eye to eye. I don’t see eye to eye with anyone. And I’m not responsible for what other people say. I’m really responsible for what I say. So if people want to say things that I said or that I’m about, that’s up to them, and I’m not going to respond to all those things all the time either.”
When the picture of the MAGA hat in Brady’s locker made the rounds in 2015, the beloved (by some) football player explained that Trump sent the hat to him personally, saying, “He always gives me a call and different types of motivational speeches at different times.”
In 2017, after Trump made headlines for his tweets about NFL player protests, Brady publicly said he disagreed with the former president. “I thought it was just divisive,” he said at the time.
Brady’s perceived closeness to Trump was a sore spot for many fans, including famous ones. Chris Evans, an avowed Patriots fan, said in 2017 that Brady got a pass. “Well, I tell you what. If anyone gets a pass it’s Tom Brady,” the Boston-born actor told USA Today. “I’m just going out of my way to give Tom Brady a pass. He gave me five rings. What am I supposed to do? He gets a pass.”
Brady is currently making moves in the entertainment space, as he’s set to be the subject of an upcoming Netflix roast.
