Sale of Tom Brady's 'last' TD ball for $518K reportedly voided after QB unretires
The biggest loser of Tom Brady's unretirement (outside of the NFC South) is no longer the person who won the ball from his "last" touchdown pass at auction hours before news broke the quarterback was returning.
A settlement has been reached to void last month's $518,000 sale of Brady's ball at auction, according to The Action Network's Darren Rovell.
The ball was available after Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans threw it into the stands in what appeared to be Brady's final game, a loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional round. Whomever caught the ball presumably put it up for auction after Brady announced his retirement.
The ball was sold at auctioneer Lelands for more than a half-million dollars with bids closing the night of March 12. The unnamed buyer probably felt great about their purchase for a few hours, but Brady's announcement the following afternoon reportedly took the air out of that excitement.
Tom Brady's 'last' TD football triggered instant regret
Per Rovell, the buyer's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said they were "genuinely mortified" upon hearing the news of the unretirement and understandably wanted Lelands to void the sale.
The buyer reportedly had two things going for them. One, they never actually paid Lelands for the ball, they just won it at auction, and two, Lelands had clearly described the ball as "Tom Brady's Last Touchdown Pass Football" in its listing, which was no longer true.
From The Action Network:
“At the time, it was an honest description,” Lichtman said. “Had they described it as his last one, as of now, there would have been little recourse. But the way they described it, it was definitive.”
The ball has since been reportedly returned to its consignor, the fan who caught the ball and is likely not too thrilled with Brady's inability to hang up his cleats.