Why do we care about what Tom Brady thinks of Donald Trump?

By Eric Wilbur and Boston.com Columnist @GlobeEricWilbur

December 18, 2015

5 minutes to read

COMMENTARY

Tom Brady doesn’t owe you anything. For all his accolades, all the success and notoriety that he has had over the past 15 years in New England, the Patriots quarterback remains an enigma.

Perhaps it’s a little too provincial to suggest that Boston, and all of New England in general, can generally be devoid of yahooism. Our Puritan roots have instilled a lasting sense of skepticism that allows us to see through the counterfeit hype that might as well count as gospel elsewhere in the country. It’s a cynicism often scoffed at, and mischaracterized as misery. But it also keeps us honest and able to understand when we’re being played.

Which brings us to this week’s source of either boredom or outrage — depending on your level of sheepishness — concerning the four-time Super Bowl champ.

Brady is “just here to play football,’’ as he told the media on Wednesday before abruptly exiting a press conference where he received one too many questions about his relationship with presidential candidate and lightning rod Donald Trump.

“Can I just stay out of this debate?’’ Brady asked when the topic was raised during his weekly appearance on WEEI Tuesday morning.

Sure, Tom. But don’t think this debate won’t continue without your participation.

In his perfect world, the insulated Brady would be able to back away from the controversy he’s created for himself, an escape he’s making more and more difficult with his traditional penchant to play both sides of the fence. That, after all, has been Brady’s modus operandi throughout his career; avoiding answers and candor in the event that the slightest opinion offends a fan, team executives, or even a sponsor.

As adored as Brady is in New England, the brutal truth is that only a handful of people truly know and understand the man, maybe not even that many.

Brady’s monotonous public persona seems crafted to avoid criticism. He’s always careful to play both sides, lest any generic message he’s prepared get misconstrued. Clearly the Brady you think you know isn’t the Brady that those close to him know. And this is, quite simply, what Brady just doesn’t understand in assuming that his toothy grin and forced chuckle will allow him to escape with a characteristically banal response.

“Donald is a good friend of mine.,’’ he said during his radio appearance this week. “I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say. He’s a good friend of mine. He’s always been so supportive of me — for the last 15 years, since I judged a beauty pageant for him, which was one of the very first things that I did that thought was really cool. That came along with winning the Super Bowl. He’s always invited me to play golf. I’ve always enjoyed his company.’’

It was back in September when this whole Brady-Trump firestorm began, of course, after a Trump “Make America Great Again’’ campaign hat was spotted in Brady’s locker.

Let’s be real, Trump is probably Brady’s “friend’’ in the same way that American bacon translates to Canada. Brady tosses the word around so much that every fan watching him in Section 212 on any given Sunday might as well be considered a close “friend’’ as well. But in this case, Brady seems to fail to understand the limits of exasperation that Trump’s blustery campaign has instilled in America, with some even likening him to Hitler for his stance on keeping Muslims out of the country.

Yet Brady, in either his naiveté or his dedication to the VIPs who represent his “friends,’’ can’t tell the temperature of the public.

“I support all my friends in everything they do,’’ he said. “I think it’s pretty remarkable what he’s achieved in his life. You’re going from business, kind of an incredible business man and then a TV star, and then getting into politics. It’s a pretty different career path. I think that is pretty remarkable.’’

It’s pretty much verbatim (and rehearsed?) from what Brady told the radio station back in September upon initial notice of the hat.

Brady backed down even more from the questioning during his weekly press conference at Gillette Stadium Wednesday when asked how he felt about the criticism.

“I don’t think about it much,’’ he said. “It’s a tough week, so I’ve got a lot of football stuff to think about and hopefully we can go out and beat the Titans. That would be the most important thing for me.’’

Brady has been around long enough though to understand he can’t have it both ways. It’s somewhat duplicitous to display a message in your locker, where you know the whole world can see, then play dumb when asked about the item on display. But would it matter if it were anybody but Trump, especially for a guy who took his share of rightful grief for eschewing his team’s championship visit to the White House last spring?

Brady needs to understand the fine line between stumping for somebody and simply being supportive because “Tom Brady is friends with Donald Trump.’’ He may be right in thinking that nobody should really give a damn which candidate gets the vote of Thomas Edward Brady. Yet, celebrity endorsements can be treated like election day instructions for uninformed voters. Can Brady really be surprised that his opinion counts in a country where a Kardashian baby tends to push other world headlines aside?

Not every athlete has to be a civil rights activist in the vein of Muhammed Ali. But the associations that Brady chooses to keep — including Trump, and fitness “guru’’ Alex Guerrero, a guy who he defended more vociferously than anyone else in recent memory last fall — will also help define his beliefs off the football field, for better or worse.

Brady isn’t required to give you an explanation.

But anybody truly offended that he doesn’t think with the same political agenda in mind has to come to grips about why he probably won’t address the issue.

It would be the first issue he ever addressed without being certain that his own reputation couldn’t back him up.

Contact Eric Wilbur at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @GlobeEricWilbur and Facebook www.facebook.com/GlobeEricWilbur/