Tom Brady sits down with Oprah and discusses how the Patriots handled anthem kneeling
The New England Patriots are often regarded as the model of professionalism in the NFL, sticking to football and largely staying out of broader off-field issues.
They are a team that — unlike the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat them in Super Bowl LII — doesn’t have any particularly outspoken players on the roster publicly criticizing President Donald Trump or being aggressive about social justice issues.
Even so, the Patriots still engaged in the national anthem protests that spread through the league in the 2017 season.
Several players took a knee before a Week 3 game, and even Tom Brady, a friend of Trump’s, joined in when players locked arms ahead of the contest against the Houston Texans.
This week, Brady spoke to Oprah Winfrey and was asked about how New England dealt with the anthem controversy.
“I think there were a lot of healthy conversations coming out of it in our locker room,” he said in the interview on OWN. “Like I said, the great part about sports are the relationships. I’ve been in it for a long time. I’ve been with guys from all different parts of the country, every color, race, belief. And, you know what, you respect what other people, I do, I respect why people are doing what they’re doing. And they’re doing it for different reasons. And that’s OK. You can do things for your reason, they can do things for their reasons and you have respect for that.”
He said the Patriots held meetings after practice to determine how they would respond in September after President Donald Trump called out the protesters.
“We chose to lock arms and put arms around each other,” Brady said.
“We support what people are going through,” he continued. “I’ve been playing sports long enough. Everyone comes from something different. And I think showing respect for everybody is — you know, in a locker room with a team of guys trying to go in the same direction, you better have that empathy for everybody.”
With cratering TV ratings, terrible PR and political divisiveness getting in the way of the naturally apolitical, meritocratic action on the field over the past couple of years, the NFL remains in a bad spot.
It hoped to put an end to the anthem controversy by instituting a new policy under which all players who are on the field must stand for the anthem and show respect for the flag. Those who choose not to do so can opt to stay in the locker room.
Many players, however, have made it clear they’re not happy with that rule.
Some members of those outspoken Eagles very publicly ripped the league for what they claim is suppression of their ability to speak their mind.
Veteran defensive end Chris Long outright accused the NFL owners of cowardice.
“I think it was driven by fear of a diminished bottom line … and the underlying factor is that they are afraid of the president,” Long said.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins suggested the league’s handling of the anthem issue is racist.
“We don’t have these types of policies for the other causes that we support, whether it is our Salute to Service, breast cancer awareness or anything else,” Jenkins said. “It’s just when you start talking about black folks. It’s disheartening.”
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