When Tom Brady “retired” from the NFL, many items from his last moments on the field became extremely valuable. On March 13, his last touchdown ball was sold at an auction for $518,000 to an unknown purchaser.
That value of that item completely flipped once Brady announced he was coming out of retirement less than 24 hours after the sale. But the Action Network’s Darren Rovell reported that the deal was voided once Brady came out of retirement. Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, who is representing the buyer, said he was unhappy Brady came out of retirement and wanted Lelands, the auctioneer, to void the sale.
No money was exchanged in the transaction – the buyer never paid Lelands for it and won it at an auction. The company told ESPN it wanted to do the right thing in the unique situation.
“We wanted to do the right thing here,” Mike Heffner, president and partner at Lelands, told the network. “It’s the most unique situation that we’ll probably ever encounter in our lifetimes – at least when it comes to sports memorabilia. We’re still not to the end of the book yet; we’ve written a chapter.”
Heffner said that despite Brady returning to the field and decreasing the value of the ball, many bidders have still reached out about purchasing it. The void took a month to process because the company was confirming Brady was staying unretired from the NFL.
“All parties were waiting to see how it played out,” Heffner told ESPN. “Tom Brady, let’s face it, is kind of unpredictable these days. Until he throws that first touchdown pass in September, this ball is still the record.”
COLTS: Indianapolis solidified its secondary by signing 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore to a two-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract with the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback had not been announced.
Indy’s secondary needed help after General Manager Chris Ballard opted not to re-sign 31-year-old cornerback Xavier Rhodes, a three-time Pro Bowler who struggled in 2021, and traded Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for 2017 Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue last month.
They still have Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II, who primarily covers slot receivers, and starting safeties Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon. They also added free agent safety Rodney McLeod on Thursday. McLeod’s interception against Washington last December helped Philadelphia make the playoffs.
“These guys have made the playoffs, they know what it takes. It’s now how can we get to that next step, and that next step is playing for a world title,” McLeod told local reporters Thursday. “That’s what we all play this sport for and so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The Colts clearly believe the 31-year-old still can play at a high level despite appearing in nine games during an injury-plagued 2021 season that included being traded from New England to Carolina.
Gilmore’s best season came in 2019, when he had six interceptions and 20 passes defensed, both career highs. He has 427 tackles and 27 interceptions in his 10-year career.
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