In an effort to unite America over the weekend, Donald Trump attacked football. I know you’re probably thinking that Trump is dividing the country with his comments about players kneeling for the national anthem, but let’s give Trump some credit. He knows that nothing brings the country together like being pissed off at him and football. So, he’s killing two birds with one stone. He’s making the United States pissed off at him over football.
Following Trump’s comments about firing NFL players who kneel during the anthem, teams released vague statements about “being united” and whatever. The statements are pretty meaningless given that most of them don’t even mention Trump, just, “recent comments aimed at our players.” However, Trump BFF Tom Brady did comment on the Donald’s words during his weekly WEEI radio appearance.
“I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive.”
Good on Brady for speaking up. His words carry a lot of weight in the NFL given that he’s the biggest star in the league and I’m sure most didn’t expect him to comment. Do I think this is more about him not wanting to cause issues with the team than his disapproval of Trump? Yes, but he still had an opinion on the matter, which is more than we can say about most NFL quarterbacks.
Brady went on to say that teammates have never asked him about his relationship with Trump. When asked about Patriots fans who booed players who kneeled, here’s what he had to say:
“I think everyone has a right to do whatever they want to do. If you don’t agree with it, that’s fine, you can voice your disagreement; I think that’s great. It’s part of our democracy, as long as it’s done in a peaceful, respectful way. That’s what this country has been all about.”
There’s the line-toeing Tom we’ve all come to love and appreciate. I hope Brady takes a knee during the anthem this weekend just to see how Patriots fans react. Sure, it’s easy to boo the back-up defensive lineman for kneeling, but are they really gonna boo Tom friggin Brady?
Even though Brady doesn’t approve of Trump’s comments, the fact that he endorsed Trump and his owner donated to Trump’s campaign makes Tom and the Patriots part of the reason we’re in this mess.
Remember the good ol’ days when sports and politics were separate and the President cared more about fixing our country than a guy kneeling during a football game?