Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday came to the defense of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after his four-game suspension was reinstated.
“First of all, let’s start by saying leave Tom Brady alone,” Trump said to open his rally in Rhode Island on Monday afternoon. “Leave him alone. He’s a great guy. It’s enough.”
{mosads}Trump has made similar remarks in the past, but his statement Monday came after a federal appeals court announced earlier in the day that it would be reinstating Brady’s suspension.
The decision reverses the ruling of a federal judge in September, who nullified Brady’s original four-game suspension imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after a report found Brady likely knew of efforts by Patriots staffers to underinflate footballs for the AFC Championship Game in 2015, reportedly giving the quarterback an advantage.
Trump, a vocal fan of Brady, was an ardent defender of the embattled quarterback last year amid controversy over the underinflated footballs and months of subsequent litigation.