Starsky had Hutch. Hall had Oates. Does Donald Trump have Tom Brady?
On Thursday the Republican presidential frontrunner bragged yet again about his friendship with the star NFL quarterback.
Speaking at a press conference to announce that he had signed a pledge not to run for the White House as a third-party candidate, Trump described Brady as “a great friend of mine” and said he “just talked to him a little bit ago”.
On Thursday morning, a federal court overturned a four-game suspension handed to Brady by the NFL over the Deflategate scandal, which concerned allegations that footballs were inappropriately deflated before the Patriots’ AFC championship game victory over the Indianapolis Colts in January.
Trump, who went on to insist that Brady was “a very honest person”, has often talked about his relationship with the quarterback.
Last Friday he said at another press conference that Brady was “a great friend of mine” and added: “I know Tom Brady. Tom Brady is an honest guy. He’s a great guy. He’s a great champion and winner.”
Trump went on to insist that NFL should “leave Tom Brady alone”.
Trump, who has talked on the phone with Brady on at least one occasion in recent weeks, has also exchanged notes with the star. It may take some effort, though, for Trump to persuade Brady to vote for him.
Brady is a registered voter in Massachusetts and is unaffiliated with either party, which means he can vote in that state’s Republican presidential primary.
However, Brady votes infrequently. According to an elections official in Boston, the only recorded elections in which he has voted were the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections and in Boston’s 2013 mayoral contest.
A spokesman for the Patriots refused to respond to questions about Brady’s relationship with Trump, saying: “We will not ask him about his private life.”
