Is the verb 'friend' related to 'befriend'?

I argued, during my Friday mid-afternoon (10 July) co-presentation with Vance 'Joy of Soy' and 'EarthtoPhilly' Lehmkuhl on social media at the 35th Annual NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest, that these two verbs are too similar to be unrelated. An audience member disagreed with me, but Toronto's Lauren Corman of Animal Voices Podcast seems to agree because during her most recent podcast she asked listeners to 'befriend' them on Facebook.

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http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Sports-and-Hobbies/Pets/Animal-Voices-Podcast/6803