Sports fans around the world were filled with joy when Tom Brady announced he would delay his NFL retirement and return to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.
But for one undisclosed investor, the news was not entirely full of cheer.
Brady's last touchdown pass football was auctioned the day before the quarterback made his surprise announcement.
Bidding, through the US-based Lelands auction house, started at $100,000 and after 23 bids, it closed at $518,628.
While the seller will be thankful for 44-year-old Brady's timing, the buyer now owns a ball that is going to be worth considerably less as soon as Brady steps on the field and starts throwing again.
It is not clear if the buyer has paid for the football yet, or whether Lelands will force the buyer to proceed with the auctioned price.
Its terms and conditions state: "If payment is not received within 30 days after the date of the invoice, Lelands reserves the right, without further notice to the buyer, to (a) charge to the buyer’s credit card any balance remaining on the buyer’s invoice; and/or (b) resell any or all the items won by the buyer. In addition, a service charge of 1.5 per cent per month will be applied to any outstanding balance after 30 days."
The touchdown took place in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home play-off loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on January 23.
Brady’s 55-yard pass was caught by wide receiver Mike Evans, which cut the Rams’ lead to 27-20 with three minutes and 20 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter. Evans threw the ball into the stands, where it was caught by the consignor.
"It was only after the loss, and Brady’s stunning announcement a week later, that the true value of the piece became apparent," said Lelands in its lot description.
"Unlike other items used in the commission of a famous last event, this ball has dual significance because it was also used to establish Tom Brady’s record of 86 career play-off touchdowns. To put that number in its proper perspective, the player in second place, Joe Montana, has a total of 45. Like most of Brady’s passing records, it is a mark that will almost certainly stand the test of time."
Less than a year ago, Brady's first career touchdown ball sold for $428,841.
Tom Brady's style evolution
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Tom Brady holds the Most Valuable Player award for Super Bowl XXVI in New Orleans, the US, on February 4, 2002. AFP -
Brady and Adriana Lima attend the 'Backstage Sexy' book launch on February 11, 2003, in New York City. Getty -
Bridget Moynahan and Brady, in a grey checked Zegna suit, attend the Ermenegildo Zegna flagship store opening April 13, 2004, in New York City. Getty -
Brady and actress Moynahan at the 'I, Robot' premiere on July 7, 2004. in Los Angeles, California. Getty -
Brady and the New England Patriots accept the Espy award for Best Game at the Kodak Theatre on July 14, 2004, in Hollywood, California. Getty -
Moynahan and Brady arrive at the 'Vanity Fair' Oscars party on February 27, 2005, in West Hollywood, California. Getty -
Brady and Moynahan attend the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2005, in New York City. Getty -
Brady, in a velvet jacket, is introduced before Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, in Detroit, Michigan. Getty -
Moynahan and Brady at the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, on May 1, 2006. Getty -
Brady at an Audi Best Buddies reception on May 16, 2008, in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. WireImage -
Tom Brady, in a grey Best Buddies fleece, speaks at the The Audi Best Buddies Challenge at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on May 17, 2008. WireImage -
Brady attends an Audi event at The Delano Hotel on December 3, 2008, in Miami, Florida. Getty -
Brady with model Gisele Bundchen at the Met Gala in New York City on May 4, 2009. Getty -
Brady at Barnstable Brown for the 136th Kentucky Derby on April 30, 2010, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
At Harry Josh and Nur Khan's Spring Fling in New York on May 1, 2010. Getty -
Brady, in a Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, attends a flag football match to start the 2010 Audi Best Buddies Challenge on June 4, 2010, in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty -
Brady sports a Zegna leather jacket at the brand's store opening on September 20, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty -
Brady attends Royal Oak 40 Years: From Avant-Garde to Icon at Park Avenue Armory on March 21, 2012, in New York City. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen attend the Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2012, in New York City. Getty -
Brady at the 2013 Derby gala at Barnstable Brown House on May 3, 2013, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala on May 6, 2013. AFP -
Brady attends the 2013 Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence Gala at the Waldorf Astoria New York, on June 13, 2013. Getty -
At the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala on May 2, 2014, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady at the Colcci show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 15, 2015. Getty -
Brady in a navy velvet jacket at 2015 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2015, in Louisville, Kentucky. Getty -
Brady at the Montreal Grand Prix on June 11, 2016, in Canada. Getty -
Brady, in a metallic silver tuxedo, and Bundchen attend the Met Gala in New York City on May 1, 2017. EPA -
Brady sports a tan fedora at the 143rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6, 2017, in Louisville. Getty -
Brady arrives for Super Bowl LII on January 29, 2018, at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport in Minnesota. Getty -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala in New York City on May 7, 2018. EPA -
Brady at a Tag Heuer event during the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco on May 26, 2018. Getty -
A more casual Brady at the Super Bowl Media Centre at the World Congress Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 31, 2019. AFP -
Brady and Bundchen at a UCLA ceremony honouring her and Barbra Streisand at the 2019 Hollywood for Science Gala on February 21, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP -
Brady and Bundchen at the Met Gala on May 6, 2019, in New York City. Getty -
Brady arrives at Gillette Stadium on November 24, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. AFP -
Ready for tee-off, Brady arrives for The Match: Champions for Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020, in Hobe Sound, Florida. Getty -
Different lawns. Brady arrives for US President Joe Biden's ceremony to honour the Super Bowl LV champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the South Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 20, 2021. EPA -
Brady at the 2021 Sports Illustrated Awards at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on December 07, 2021, in Hollywood, Florida. Getty
