Tom Brady Pleads the Fifth When Asked If Patriots Appreciate Him

On Monday, Tom Brady spoke at the Milken Institute Global Conference in a conversation with sportscaster Jim Gray.

During their Q&A session, Gray asked Brady if he feels "appreciated" by the Patriots and if the organization shows the "appropriate gratitude" for what he has done in his 18 seasons with the team.

Brady responded first by pleading the fifth, the amendment that is used by people to avoid answering questions where they would self-incriminate themselves. He then started to elaborate a bit by explaining "everybody in general wants to be appreciated more at work."

Gray followed that up by asking Brady if he's "happy," to which the three-time MVP answered "I have no my moments."

Although those answers might not be exactly what Patriots fans want to hear from the quarterback, Brady had a lot of positive things to say about coach Bill Belichick and their relationship. Brady said Belichick is "not the easiest coach to play for," but added "he's the best for me," and noted how Belichick has "taught" him "so much football" and forged "a very respectful relationship" with him. Brady also called the five-time Super Bowl winning coach "the best coach in NFL history."

Brady also talked about former teammate Malcolm Butler and his perspective of Butler's Super Bowl benching. He said the offense and defense don't normally interact much, but Butler kept coming up to him during the game trying to encourage him.

"Malcolm kept coming up to me during the game and was like, 'Come on, TB, let's go!'" Brady said. "And I kept going, 'What defense are we in where Malcolm's not on the field?' Is it short-yardage, goal line?"

Brady said he eventually found out what happened after the game, and when he asked the cornerback why he wasn't playing, Butler told him, "Coach has just decided something different." Brady said he doesn't know what went into making the decision to bench Butler, but knows the team was doing what it thought was needed to get the victory.

"I don't think we were trying to do anything but win," Brady said.

In addition to speaking about his team, Brady also answered a question about his feelings toward players protesting police brutality and racial injustice in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem. The 13-time Pro Bowler said, "you have to have respect for everyone's opinions" and added that sports "has been the most unifying part" of his life.

You can see Brady's entire conversation with Gray here.