One fan paid more than $500,000 for Tom Brady's "last" touchdown ball hours before the legendary quarterback announced his decision to unretire.
Sports memorabilia auction site Lelands.com announced the football was sold for $518,628.00, the highest of 23 bids, on March 12 at 10:00 p.m.
On Sunday, March 13, Brady announced his decision to return for his 23rd NFL season, just one month after announcing his retirement and less than 24 hours after the anonymous fan won the bid on his then-last NFL touchdown ball.
"The ball is worth a lot less now," sports memorabilia expert David Kohler told CBS MoneyWatch, adding that the football would now be "a fraction of what it was worth."
Pro Football Talk reported that Lelands.com had no comment when asked to address whether the fan would be stuck with the football.
Brady will surely add to his NFL record for touchdown passes during the 2022 NFL season, which will make his last pass just another touchdown among the 624 for his career.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his decision to return for his 23rd season in a lengthy social media post on Sunday.
"These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. 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," Brady shared on his verified Twitter account.
Brady officially announced his retirement last month in a lengthy post shared on his verified Instagram account, however, admitted that his feelings could change during an appearance on his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald the following week.
"I'm just gonna take things as they come," Brady said while addressing the question of whether he'd consider returning. "I think that's the best way to put it and I don't think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time I know that I'm very, I feel very good about my decision. I don't know how I'll feel six months from now.
"I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week. And, again, I think it's not looking to reverse course, I'm definitely not looking to do that. But in the same time I think you have to be realistic that you never know what challenges there are gonna be in life. Again, I loved playing. I'm looking forward to doing things other than playing. That's as honest as I can be."
Brady's confirmation came hours after hIs appearance on his Let's Go! podcast on January 31 in which he addressed conflicting reports regarding his retirement decision over the previous weekend and said he was still contemplating his decision at the time, as he'd said during his previous appearance on the show one week prior.
Brady is the NFL's all-time passing leader for yards (84,520) and touchdowns (624), as well as quarterback wins (243), among numerous other records.
The San Mateo native spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, leading the franchise to an NFL record six Super Bowl championships (tied with the Steelers), before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020, which resulted in Tampa Bay winning its second Super Bowl in franchise history, becoming the first NFL team to win a Super Bowl in its home stadium, in February 2021.
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