Tom Brady explains why he ‘liked’ Antonio Brown’s apology to Patriots

Tom Brady was among several New England Patriots players who “liked” Antonio Brown’s social media post apologizing to team owner Robert Kraft and the organization this week, and the future Hall of Famer clearly did so intentionally.

Brown shared a photo of him and Brady from the duo’s brief time playing together, and he apologized for the “bad media attention and the drama.” When asked on Wednesday about hitting “like” and commenting with smiley face emojis, Brady was honest.

“I liked him. We had a great rapport when we were here,” Brady told Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “I’m trying to support him to be the best person that he can be, that’s all.”

With New England’s offense having struggled again in Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles and Brady clearly frustrated, there has been speculation that the quarterback could be trying to show the Patriots he wants to bring Brown back. Brady seemed irritated by that assumption.

“It’s that time of year,” Brady said. “People put a lot of words in people’s mouths. It’s just part of the world we’re living in.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler learned this week that Brown has filed a countersuit against his former friend and personal trainer Britney Taylor, who is suing him for sexual assault. There have also been rumblings that Brown is optimistic the NFL may clear him before the end of the season after he stated his case in a meeting with the league last week.

From a football standpoint, the Patriots could undoubtedly use Brown. Their defense has been carrying them while the offense looks borderline inept, and Brady didn’t even seem like he enjoyed Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Eagles.

However, Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, and Kraft was reportedly furious after the receiver sent threatening text messages to the second alleged victim. Brown also unloaded on Kraft in a since-deleted tweet after the Patriots released him.

If Brown is, for some reason, cleared by the NFL without a suspension, there’s at least a chance the Patriots might bring him back. His apology this week and Brady’s reaction to it may be part of setting the stage.