Tom Brady just did a live Q&A with Jim Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills ... and talked about everything from his NFL future to kneeling during the national anthem.
Brady says the kneeling debate sparked a lot of "great conversations" in the locker room and meeting rooms.
"I have a lot of friends that I've played with and everyone's from different backgrounds. Everyone's from different parts of the country. Everyone has different stories ... and you gotta have respect for everybody."
"You gotta have respect for everybody's opinion and the way that they want to present themselves. And the opportunity that they have to make a difference."
Brady also said sports, for him, have been the most "unifying part of my life" and said it's important that the NFL should bring people together.
Brady says football players are ultimately entertainers and watching the sport should help make fans get away from their real-world problems.