Tom Brady Says Press ‘Mischaracterized’ His Friendship With Donald Trump

Tom Brady blamed the media for exaggerating his friendship with former President Donald Trump, who the football player has gone golfing with and praised in the past. “I haven’t talked to him in a lot of years,” Brady told Variety.

When asked about his times playing golf with Trump, Brady noted that had occurred “17 or 18 years ago,” far before Trump’s presidential career. He said he was mostly just awestruck by attending an elite golf course and “thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”

While Brady said his relationship with Trump had been “mischaracterized,” he also didn’t make any strong proclamations about his opinion of him, or his political views in general. While discussing his views in relation to his wife’s, Brady said, “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.”

The Buccaneers quarterback got into some hot water when a photo of a MAGA hat in his locker that circulated on the internet around 2015. He claimed in a radio interview at the time that the hat simply “found its way to my locker” after Trump sent one to Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

He also suggested a pretty close friendship with Trump at a later point. “He always gives me a call and different types of motivational speeches at different times,” he said. Brady also spoke highly of the then-Presidential candidate by saying, “It’s pretty amazing what he’s been able to accomplish. He obviously appeals to a lot of people, and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to play golf with.”