Tom Brady reversed his decision to retire from the game, but not before the ball that he threw for his final touchdown pass was sold for six figures.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced Sunday that he will be back for the 2022 NFL season, just 40 days after he had announced his retirement from the game.
However, just hours before he announced to comeback, the ball he threw for his now so-called “final” touchdown was sold for $518,268.
The ball had gone up for auction on Lelands sports memorabilia auction house and was titled “Tom Brady’s Last Touchdown Pass Football.”
Lelands wrote: “If there is any item in the field of sports collectables that needs no embellishment, it is this historic piece: the final touchdown ball of Tom Brady’s career.”
It added: “The historic event took place just recently in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 23, 2022. Brady’s 55-yard touchdown pass was caught by wide receiver Mike Evans, which cut the Rams’ lead to 27-20 with 3:20 left to play in the fourth quarter.”
And just hours after the Lelands auction was closed, Brady announced his return to the NFL for his 23rd season. He wrote: “These past two months I’ve realised 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.”
Lelands also noted that “it was less than a year ago that we offered Tom Brady’s first career touchdown ball (Lot 5; 2021 Mid-Spring Classic; realised $428,841).”
“Ironically, Brady’s first touchdown ball, like his last, was also tossed into the stands by the receiver who caught it (Terry Glenn), therefore depriving the NFL Football Hall of Fame of what would be two of its most important artefacts.”
