Sneed: Ditka defends Brady after QB ripped for backing Trump

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Legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka | Santiago Covarrubias/Sun-Times

Follow @sneedlingsDa Coach Mike Ditka, who is angry New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been dissed for supporting President Donald Trump, has some advice for a rebellious nation.

“Grow up!”

The legendary 1986 Super Bowl-winning Bears coach, a mega Trump supporter, tells Sneed: “Dammit. I thought this country was a country of choice!

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has come under fire for his defense of President Donald Trump, but Mike Ditka supports Brady. | Getty Images

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has come under fire for his defense of President Donald Trump, but Mike Ditka supports Brady. | Getty Images

“It’s ironic and funny now for me to look at my people, those rebelling and offended by the presidential election,” said Ditka, who is in Houston raising money for Gridiron Greats and Military Greats.

“All I did was step up and say, ‘Hell, this guy Trump could do a fantastic job!’ Even Tom Brady got blasted for his support. What’s going on? I’m old and no one wants to hear from an old has-been, but I say full steam ahead.

“Trump’s going to make changes and upset the status quo. Things haven’t been right in a long time. I love the challenge. To reach greatness you have to reach high. That’s my opinion. I hope he makes it for the next four years. I think he’s going to do a hell of a fantastic job.

“Damn the torpedoes, dammit.”

OPINION

Follow @sneedlingsDitka, who was heading home to Florida on Friday, did not intend to stay in Houston for Super Bowl LI Sunday.

“I’ll be watching it at home with a big cigar,” he said.

Does Ditka have a pick?

“Hell, I don’t think the Patriots can be beat. I think they’ll win.”

The Radogno question . . .

A case of private intention?

Or just plain baloney?

Rumors abound State Sen. Christine Radogno, a Republican, who is working together with Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) to break the budget logjam by securing votes for the so-called “grand bargain,” is planning to pull the plug in June and/or may be heading for a state appointment by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Or is she so disgusted and frustrated with the fractious negotiations, she is planning not to run for re-election in 2018?

• Radogno’s comment: “Opponents of the plan are getting desperate!”

Stay tuned.

The Hillary file . . .

Keeping tabs on Hillary.

Sneed hears a few of Hillary Clinton’s childhood school friends from Park Ridge visited their schoolmate in Chappaqua, New York, since her election loss in November.

Chicago attorney Kevin O’Keefe, who met her in college, tells Sneed he has talked to her: “She [Hillary] is trying to figure out what to do. Her favorite word was “Onward.” She’s getting back to regular things, spending time with her grandkids.

“I think she is adjusting to being Hillary Clinton and not any of the other major roles she has been her life,” he added.  “She is feeling good.”

The Peterson file . . . 

Sneed hears rumbles convicted wife murderer Drew Peterson, who is living in a segregated special housing area with limited access to mail and phones at the Menard Correctional Center, is under consideration to become the subject of a two-hour special on Jupiter Entertainment in the near future.

• Translation: No more letters from female admirers?

Sneedlings . . .

I spy: Actor Taye Diggs in town filming “Empire” spotted at Lux Bar Tuesday night. . . . Singer Bobby Brown at Gibsons on Rush recently. . . . Actress Torrey “Chicago Med” DeVitto also at Gibsons. . . . Comedian Colin Mochrie spotted at Quartino on Saturday. . . . Rapper Busta Rhymes dining at RPM Steak on Friday before his performance at Studio Paris . . . Singer Christina Milian at Hugo’s Frog Bar recently. She was in town promoting her new wine company. . . . Today’s birthdays: Morgan Fairchild, 67; Amal Clooney, 39, and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, priceless and ageless, who plans to celebrate by ducking into The Duck Inn in Bridgeport for dinner.

Tweets by @sneedlings

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