Bill Belichick, Tom Brady Discuss Relationship with President-Elect Donald Trump

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady clarified their positions Wednesday in regard to Donald Trump after the president-elect referenced both men in a speech Monday night.

Belichick said that the note he wrote to Trump, which the president-elect read out loud to a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire, wasn't "politically motivated" but rather stemmed from his long-standing relationship with Trump.

"I've received a number of inquiries relative to a note I wrote to Donald on Monday," Belichick told reporters. "Our friendship goes back many years. I think anybody that spends more than five minutes with me knows I'm not a political person. My comments are not politically motivated."

He went on to note that, several weeks ago, the Patriots had Secretary of State John Kerry visit the team in the locker room, and he called Kerry another friend of his:

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I can't imagine two people with more different political views than those two. But to me, friendship and loyalty is just about that, it's not about political or religious views. I write hundreds of letters and notes every month. Doesn't mean that I agree with every single thing that every single person thinks about politics or religion or other subjects.

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You can see his full comments below:

Those were the extent of his comments on the matter, per Kevin Duffy of MassLive:

On Monday night, Trump read a letter he said Belichick had sent him, per Tom E. Curran of CSNNE:

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Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable slanted and negative media, and have come out beautifully — beautifully. You've proved to be the ultimate competitor and fighter. Your leadership is amazing. I have always had tremendous respect for you, but the toughness and perseverance you have displayed over the past year is remarkable. Hopefully tomorrow's election results will give the opportunity to make America great again. Best wishes for great results tomorrow.

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He also said he had the backing of both Belichick and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, though Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, said over the weekend that the couple did not support Trump, per Cindy Boren of the Washington Post.

Though Brady never publicly endorsed Trump, the then-Republican nominee claimed Monday night that not only had the quarterback endorsed him but that Brady also gave Trump the OK to tell the New Hampshire crowd of his support.

However, Brady did not explicitly support that claim when asked about it Wednesday, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe:

"I talked to my wife. She said I can't talk about politics anymore," Brady noted. "I think that's a good decision."

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