Tom Brady discusses his friendship with Donald Trump

Star New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady doesn't understand why people make such a big deal about his friendship with President Donald Trump.

Ever since an iconic red "Make American Great Again" hat appeared in Brady's locker, questions about his relationship with the controversial president abounded. And the morning after Brady led his team to an AFC Championship game, he was pressed again about his friendship with Trump on WEEI's "Kirk and Callahan" radio show.

"I have called him, yes, in the past. Sometimes he's called me, sometimes I call him," Brady said Monday morning. "I always try to keep it in context. For 16 years you know someone before maybe he was in the position that he was in."

"He's been very supportive of me for a long time," Brady continued. "It's just a friendship for — I got a lot of friends so I call a lot of people."

Then Brady asked, "Why is that such a big deal? I don't understand that?"

The hosts pressed Brady to go more in-depth about his friendship with Trump and asked if there are particular things he has said or done that Brady disagreed with, but Brady remained fairly mum on the details of their relationship — maybe because his wife, model Gisele Bündchen, has reportedly told him not to talk politics anymore.

"I don't want to get into it but if you know someone, it doesn't mean that you agree with everything that they say or do, right," Brady did say, adding that there's a difference between knowing someone personally and publicly.

Brady has previously stated that he's known Trump since 2002 when he judged a beauty pageant.

"He always gives me a call and different types of motivational speeches at different times," Brady said.

As SB Nation previously reported, the Patriots franchise has a deep connection to Trump that extends past their star quarterback.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who also says he's been friends with Trump for several years, wrote Trump a congratulatory letter in November that Trump read out loud to a crowd in New Hampshire.

"Congratulations on a tremendous campaign. You have dealt with an unbelievable, slanted and negative media and have come out beautifully," Belichick wrote. "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."

And as SB Nation pointed out, Belichick's girlfriend posted an Instagram photo of the pair with Trump at Mar-a-Lago during the NFL offseason.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, too, has vocalized his support for his "friend" Trump — despite a record of donating to Democratic politicians over the years.

"Loyalty is important to me, and he has been a wonderful friend," Kraft told the New York Times earlier this month. "I think one of the great problems in the country today is the working poor, the middle class, that there hasn’t been growth in income on an equal basis, and I really think the policies he’s going to bring to bear are going to be great for the economic side of America."

(H/T: TMZ)