TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, the all-time passing touchdowns leader, and arguably the greatest quarterback ever. Now, the historic football Brady threw for his first career NFL touchdown pass is up for auction.
“On the ball, on the side, you can see the word “PATS,” Jordan Gilroy, Leland’s Director of Acquisitions, told ABC Action News Sports Anchor Kyle Burger. “Someone on the team or one of the equipment managers wrote that word on the ball.”
On Oct. 14, 2001, in a comeback home win against San Diego, Brady threw his first-ever touchdown pass in the NFL, connecting on a 21-yard score to wide receiver Terry Glenn. The pass launched Brady’s Hall of Fame career and paved the way for the Patriots’ dynasty. After celebrating his TD reception, Glenn tossed the football six rows up into the stands to the left of the goal post, where it was snagged by the consignor, who was sitting in his regular seat in Section 12.
“He saw we were selling that card and it was at two million dollars. He’s putting two and two together, this is the time to sell Brady,” Gilroy said. “We talked for a couple of weeks, I walked him through the process, I was honest with him. We’re going to come off this huge record-breaking sale, use the momentum. And he did, now it is snowballing.”
The consignor is a 48-year-old Rhode Island man and longtime Patriots fan and season ticket holder. The consignor, who has asked to remain anonymous, had kept the football in a bank-safe deposit box for most of the past 20 years, going to see it only before Patriots playoff games.
“Luckily, there are no comparisons on the market, or even past sales,” Gilroy added. “The price is up to the buyers. They’re not going to look back and say this other ball sold for two million dollars, I think it’s worth X amount of dollars now. It’s fresh to the market. It could go for much more than the card.”
Lelands is handling the auction. If interested, get your bid in by June 4.
