NFL star Tom Brady turns his back on Donald Trump amid national anthem protests

STAR quarterback Tom Brady, who supported Donald Trump during the US election, has slammed the president’s NFL anthem comments.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has turned his back on Donald Trump.

NEW England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who supported Donald Trump during the election, has declared he disagreed with the president’s suggestion that NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem should be fired.

“I certainly disagree with what he said. I thought it was just divisive,” Brady said during an interview on the “Kirk and Callahan” radio show on WEEI in Boston. “Like I said, I just want to support my teammates.”

Trump on Monday defended his remarks, saying they were about “respect for our Flag” and not race.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

US President Donald Trump.

Brady, who has said he’s friends with Trump and was spotted during the presidential campaign with a “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker, said in the interview football brings a diverse group of people together for one purpose.

“The one thing about football is it brings so many guys together — guys you would never have the opportunity to be around,” he said. “Whether it was in college, and all the way into the pros. We’re all different, we’re all unique. That is what makes us all special.”

The New England Patriots lock arms as the US national anthem is played.

The five-time Super Bowl champ, whom Trump once called a “great friend,” was among the hundreds of NFL players, coaches and owners who knelt or stood arm-in-arm in solidarity during the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner during Sunday’s games.

He said he has great respect for players around the league and for his teammates.

“When you’re in a locker room full of 53 players, you’re working to a common goal. You support the guys that you play with and you support your coaches, coaches support you. You just do the best you can do,” Brady said.

Tom Brady is married to supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

He also said he heard the boos from fans at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots hosted the Houston Texans, and agreed that they have a right to voice their displeasure.

“I think everyone has the right to do whatever they want to do. If you don’t agree, that is fine,” he said. “You can voice your disagreement, I think that is great. It’s part of our democracy. As long as it is done in a peaceful, respectful way, that is what our country has been all about.”

Trump, during a speech Friday night in the US state of Alabama, called on NFL owners to fire or suspend players who take a knee during the national anthem.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He is fired’,” Trump said.

His comments sparked a firestorm, with Trump on Monday insisting his charged comments were about patriotism, not race.

He also pointed to the Pittsburgh Penguins acceptance of a White House invitation and support from race car fans.

#StandForOurAnthem

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won't put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag - they said it loud and clear!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said NFL players upset about police brutality should direct their anger at law enforcement officers, not the nation’s flag.

‘They should probably protest the officers on the field who that are protecting them instead of the American flag,” she said.

Asked to clarify her statement by another journalist, Sanders said she was not saying players should actually protest police.

“I was kind of pointing out the hypocrisy of the fact that if the goal is and the message is that of police brutality, which they’ve stated, it doesn’t seem very appropriate to protest the American flag. I’m not sure how those two things would be combined,” she said.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders on President Trump’s NFL remarks: “This isn’t about the president being against anyone” https://t.co/rlw54tKO5u

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 25, 2017

This story originally appeared in The New York Post and has been republished here with permission.

Originally published as NFL star Tom Brady turns his back on Donald Trump amid national anthem protests