Donald Trump says Tom Brady called to congratulate him, Brady doesn't want to talk about it
If the New England Patriots win on Sunday, how many questions do you think quarterback Tom Brady will get about President Donald Trump during Super Bowl week?
It’s pretty clear how many of those questions Brady will actually answer, and it’s a nice fat zero.
Brady and Trump are friends. That much has been pretty well established. But Brady, time and again, has refused to talk about Trump. It’s probably smart on his part. The Patriots hate distractions. Brady is better off just saying nothing and not mixing politics and football. Besides, Brady’s wife Gisele Bundchen told him not to talk politics in public anymore.
But Trump keeps bringing him up, so Brady keeps getting dragged back into it. During Trump’s campaign donor dinner on Thursday, he shouted out Brady, Patriots coach Bill Belichick (who wrote Trump a letter during his campaign) and owner Robert Kraft, who was at Thursday’s dinner.
Trump says Tom Brady called him today: pic.twitter.com/bd46ygMPrf
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 20, 2017
Since Brady apparently called Trump to congratulate him (“Your friend Tom just called, he feels good. He called to congratulate us,” Trump said to Kraft), it seemed like a good time to ask Brady about his friend again. The most recognizable player in the NFL and the President of the United States being buddies is pretty interesting, after all.
So Brady was asked during his Friday press conference about Trump.
“Not much to say,” Brady said.
Did you call him?
“Ummm … did I call him?” Brady said as he stalled. “Let’s talk about football.”
Tom Brady on Donald Trump "Did I call him? Let's talk about football" pic.twitter.com/Q1RXm1H2sS
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 20, 2017
It’s not unprecedented for an athlete to support a politician or get involved with politics in general. Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr sent a tweet that was critical of Democrats who boycotted Trump’s inauguration on Friday, though it wasn’t specifically supporting Trump. It didn’t create a Brady-esque stir.
I still believe..whether we are happy, or not. WE have to come together, serve, and love everybody. "Leaders" don't create more division. pic.twitter.com/4ZgGPxGfSE
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) January 19, 2017
Carr isn’t the celebrity that Brady is, however. Not many athletes are. And Brady’s silence on Trump has added a layer of mystery to it all. He probably would never be asked about Trump again if he talked about it once. Just don’t expect that to happen any time in the next two weeks.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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