Tom Brady is no stranger to controversy, and the Patriots quarterback found himself in the middle of yet another scandal on Thursday.
He took the podium to address the media about his prior knowledge, or lack thereof, about the deflated footballs that were used in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Colts. But not everyone questioned the sincerity of Brady's remarks. His wide receiver, Julian Edelman, loyally supported his teammate and friend.
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Edelman believed Brady had nothing to do with the deflation of the game balls. He went on to discuss how much he respected Brady before he even became his teammate.
"I loved him," Edelman told Comcast SportsNet. "Especially because he was from the area that I was from. His fiery attitude and his competitive ways, and he was always the underdog, always not good enough. All of those things always attracted me towards being a fan of him, and it's been a privilege to get to play with a player of his caliber."
Growing up in Woodside, Calif., Edelman was in the close vicinity of Brady's hometown of San Mateo. Edelman even spent a year at the College of San Mateo where Brady attended football camps as a child.
"We were both Bay Area kids," Edelman said, "represented by the same people, by Don Yee and those guys, Yee and Dubin Sports. He was always pretty familiar. You'd be able to talk about Woodside High School, [Brady's alma mater Junipero] Serra High School, sandwich spots. All these kind of things. I guess we kicked it off from the start. He had me at hello."
Edelman transferred to Kent State University where he was a three-year starter at quarterback. Although he wasn't invited to the 2009 NFL Combine, Edelman was drafted by the Patriots as the 27th pick of the seventh round.
"I ran into him and he goes, 'Hi, I'm Tom Brady,' " Edelman said. "I go, 'Yeah, you are.' So it was a cool moment, and something I probably won't forget."
In the six years since their first meeting, the dynamic duo have become close both on and off the field.
"I was a fan," Edelman said. "Still am."
With their teammates, Edelman and Brady will prepare to take on the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET.