Tom Brady told Oprah this week that Bill Belichick and the Patriots took the national anthem issue so seriously last season, they held multiple meetings to address it.
"We had meetings after practice, talking about how we wanted to deal with that particular situation at the time, whether it was taking a knee," the quarterback said.
New England players ultimately chose to kneel during the anthem prior to their Sept. 24 game against against the Texans ... though some -- including Brady himself -- opted to stand and link arms.
Tom says it was an issue that led to plenty of discussion in the New England locker room -- particularly after Donald Trump said at a fall rally that players should be fired for the protests.
"I think there were a lot of really good, healthy conversations coming out of it in our locker room, you know?" Brady said.
He added: "I've been playing sports long enough. Everyone comes from something different. And I think showing respect for everybody in a locker room -- a team full of guys trying to go the same direction -- you better have that empathy for everybody."
"That's what sports are about."