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Tom Brady calls Trump's NFL comments "just divisive"

NFL national anthem protests
Behind the NFL national anthem protests 04:30

BOSTON -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is at odds with President Trump on the issue of players protesting the national anthem, calling Mr. Trump's comments "just divisive."

Brady told Boston's WEEI-FM sports radio that he "certainly" disagrees with Mr. Trump's comment that NFL owners should fire any player who refuses to stand for the anthem.

"I just want to support my teammates. I am never one to say, 'Oh, that is wrong. That is right.' I do believe in what I believe in. I believe in bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Those are the values that my parents instilled in me. That is how I try and live every day," he said Monday.

Patriots locked arms with some teammates during the "Star Spangled Banner" on Sunday against the Texans while other players kneeled.

Tom Brady on Colin Kaepernick 00:24

Brady has called Mr. Trump a "good friend" in the past and one of Mr. Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats was spotted in Brady's locker in 2015. Mr. Trump has often praised the quarterback on social media.

The kneeling movement began in 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in the U.S. Kaepernick remains an unsigned free agent, and Brady recently voiced his support for Kaepernick.

"I've always watched him and admired him, the way that he's played he was a great young quarterback," Brady told CBS News' Norah O'Donnell. "He came to our stadium and beat us and took his team to the Super Bowl. He accomplished a lot in the pros as a player. And he's certainly qualified and I hope he gets a shot."

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