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In interview with Oprah, Tom Brady praises impact of players kneeling during the anthem

Despite the divisive national debate over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, Tom Brady says the protests resulted in “a lot of good, healthy conversations” in the Patriots locker room.

In an interview set to air Sunday with Oprah Winfrey, the Patriots quarterback said that during his long career in sports he’s come to empathize with the experiences of other players who are of a different “color, race, [or] belief.”

“I respect why people are doing what they are doing,” Brady said in a clip published Thursday by Winfrey’s TV network, OWN. “And they’re doing it for different reasons, and that’s OK.