Tom Brady said some things about the national anthem protests

Tom Brady addressed the national anthem protests and managed to say something while saying nothing at all.

Remember when Donald Trump got all hot-under-the-toupee about football players kneeling in protest during the national anthem? Remember when all those players banded together to collectively give him a giant middle finger by universally protesting.

That was a very bad moment in social progress.

Let it be known: The anthem protests were and always have been about oppression. The form of oppression varies from systemic oppression, poverty, and police brutality. The common thread is there’s a chasm between being black in America and being white. It’s unfair, it’s horrifying, and before the protests, it was still largely untalked about on a national stage.

The intense reactions that stemmed from the protests have sparked more rage than conversation, with the latter being the means towards an endgame of equality. NFL players — specifically white superstar NFL players — have mostly been mum on the issue, or have talked out of both sides of their mouths.

Tom Brady, who rarely speaks out on issues, has finally (kinda) established a stance. It’s not a definitive one, but his comments to Jim Gray this week at least make it sound like he’s getting the point.

Because context — specifically full context — is so subjectively ignored to create convenient narratives, let’s look at everything Brady said:

"“I have a lot of friends that I’ve played with and everyone’s from different backgrounds. Everyone’s from different parts of the country. Everyone has different stories … and you gotta have respect for everybody. You gotta have respect for everybody’s opinion and the way that they want to present themselves. And the opportunity that they have to make a difference.”"

That certainly sounds like he’s in support of the right to protest. That’s the slippery slope that ignites hateful debates: The idea that by speaking about the protests without condemning them means you hate America. Or, that by saying anything other than a statement of complete support means you are a racist. Brady is acknowledging that there needs to be a conversation about why the protests are happening, which is the point.

Brady also doubled down, playing to the crowd that thinks athletes should just be entertainers who sacrifice their bodies for the sake of escapism.

"“We shouldn’t forget that we’re being brought together to do something that is very pure, very fun, and people want to show up to watch us do something great. We do, in my mind, provde great entertainment for people. They work so hard all week long, Monday through Friday. It’s tough jobs, tough relationships; they just want to get ot the weekend and sit down with their friends and socialize. They want to have this experience that takes them away from how hard life can be at times."

That’s textbook shut-up-and-dance rhetoric that drools out of mouths of those bemoaning the idea of athletes can have a voice. You’re an entertainer, so only entertain me.

To be fair, Brady did seem to come out in support with a SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK about why the protests are happening, before circling back to addressing the people up front. No one is looking for him to give the TB12 stamp of approval to the protests, but the fact that he understands we should be listening is progress.

With all the double talk, though, it’s hard to not think of Brady as that ‘Merry Christmas’ girl who doesn’t actually say Merry Christmas but makes it seem like she is.

Even if he’s still playing to the ‘Stand Up Or Get Out’ crowd (because they buy books they can’t read to feel important too), the acknowledgment that these protests should spark conversation is the real takeaway.