Fan Spent $500k On Tom Brady’s Final Game Ball Hours Before He Cancelled Retirement

Tom Brady retired from the NFL recently, bringing an end to one of the greatest careers the sport has ever seen. That lasted about a month before Brady decided to announce his comeback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said he belongs on the field, so he plans to be there again next season.

Memorabilia from Tom Brady’s career spiked in value after the announcement of his retirement. Investors all wanted to own a piece of history. That included the game ball from what was thought to be Brady’s final NFL game.

ESPN reported that just hours before Tom Brady announced his NFL return, an anonymous fan spent a pretty penny to take possession of the coveted ball. Brady’s comeback means the ball is now no more valuable than any NFL game-used item.

The specific ball sold to the fan was thrown by Tom Brady to Mike Evans for a 55-yard touchdown in the Bucs’ loss against the Los Angeles Rams in this years’ NFL playoff divisional-round game. The ball sold at Leland’s auctions for an astounding $518,628. Hours later, the prized piece was rendered irrelevant.

Jordan Gilroy, head of acquisitions for Lelands, thought the ball would sell for $1 million. Rumors about a potential change of heart from the legendary quarterback may have brought down the value. It’s not the first time something like this has happened.

Comic book mogul Todd McFarlane spent $3 million back in 1999 to purchase Mark McGwire’s record-breaking 70th home run ball. Shortly after, Barry Bonds smashed the record. Tom Brady’s famous “final touchdown ball” has met a similar fate. One unfortunate investor now has a very expensive but historically meaningless item.

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