The return of Tom Brady to the football field for his 23rd season delighted most fans of the NFL, eager to see the greatest of all-time compete for at least one more season.
It had an immediate impact on next year’s Super Bowl odds, moving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from +2800 to +750 with the announcement. The news also had an immediate impact on the wallet of a fan.
One unlucky buyer purchased what was supposed to be the football from the last touchdown pass of Brady’s illustrious career, buying the ball for $518,000. Following Brady’s announcement that he would come out of retirement to pursue an eighth Super Bowl title, the value of the ball plummeted to as little as $20,000, according to the Daily Mail.
Per the Mail, the purchase was finalized less than 24 hours prior to Brady’s announcement.
Brady, showing compassion for the buyer’s plight, took to social media on Friday to try and alleviate the pain he caused.
Hey @FTX_Official …could we donate a Bitcoin to the charity of this person’s choice?! 😂 https://t.co/oDX0M3ysX1 pic.twitter.com/iI3kZo5KA6
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 18, 2022
Brady is an ambassador for FTX, a centralized cryptocurrency exchange. The company loved the idea, also suggesting that the buyer should have a bitcoin thrown their way.
Let's make it happen, ₿rady.
But what do you say, we give him a #bitcoin too? https://t.co/xrxqrBxBkV
— FTX (@FTX_Official) March 18, 2022
While the offer of a free bitcoin is certainly a nice gesture, its current worth of around $41,000 means that the buyer will still be taking a major bath on his purchase.
Brady’s “final” touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bucs lost, ending their season, and Brady announced his retirement from football a week later.
On February 1, Brady officially announced his retirement, saying that he was “not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.”
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady posted to Instagram. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
Forty days later, Brady reversed course, letting the football world know that he’d be returning to the Buccaneers.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady posted to Twitter. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.”
Tampa Bay General Manager Jason Licht said the organization always felt that there was a “realistic chance” that Brady would unretire.
“[Head coach Bruce Arians] and I have had plenty of conversations with Tom recently that led us to believe there was a realistic chance he would want to come back,” Licht said, according to ESPN. “Tom is the greatest quarterback of all time who is still playing at an elite level. With this decision now made, we will continue to move forward with our offseason plans to reload this roster for another championship run.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
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Source: Dailywire
