Tom Brady Says His Friend Donald Trump Always Calls Him After Patriots Games

Photos via AP

Tom Brady caught flak last week for refusing to answer a question about his friendship with Donald Trump after the Republican presidential nominee caught bragging about sexual assault in a leaked 2005 recording, which Trump has since brushed off as “locker room talk.”

In his weekly interview with WEEI’s Kirk & Callahan Monday, Brady gave a glimpse into his relationship with Trump.

“I met him probably 15, 16 years ago,” Brady said. “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.”

That much is true. Trump has long been a vocal supporter of the Patriots, sticking with Brady and company through the worst of Deflategate. (Trump even tried to buy the Patriots, before Robert Kraft came along.) In return, Brady has displayed one of Trump’s red “Make America Great Again” hats in his locker and told reporters that “it’d be great” if he became president. In a voicemails allegedly hacked from Trump’s voicemail earlier this year, a voice believed to be Brady can be heard saying, “Hey big guy, it’s your favorite NFL quarterback calling.”

“Obviously there’s a lot of headlines to make, and I’ve tried not to make a lot of headlines,” Brady said Monday of his decision to flee the podium when asked about Trump. “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.”

Brady skipped this summer’s Republican National Convention, where he was rumored to speak in support of Trump. (Coincidentally, his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is an avowed Brady hater.) Trump has said that both Brady and the Krafts would endorse him if he asked them to, but didn’t want to put them in an awkward spot with fans.

“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,” Brady said.

He told K&C he plans to vote on November 8, but declined to say which box he’ll check.

“Yeah, I’ll vote,” Brady said. “Maybe we’ll talk about it after Super Tuesday or whatever it is.”