Los Angeles: It’s no presidential pardon but Donald Trump says New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is an “honourable guy” and “totally innocent” in the Deflategate scandal that led to an NFL ban.
The comments from the US president-elect were unveiled in a video clip by TMZ Sports of a Fox News documentary on Trump that aired on Friday.
They were made during a September 15 interview at Trump’s home.
At that time, two months ahead of the US election, Brady was serving a four-game suspension without pay for his role in the under-inflating of footballs used in a 2015 playoff game. “I think Tom is totally innocent,” Trump said in the interview. “I think Tom, first of all I know him and he’s an honourable guy, and I’m with him all the way.”