As Tom Brady nears retirement, memorabilia from the highlights of his legendary career is going to start climbing in value. But one fan is suing the New England Patriots over a piece of memorabilia that he once lent them.
According to TMZ, one fan is suing the Patriots – specifically the Patriots Hall of Fame – for allegedly ruining a special American flag he let them put on display.
The fan, Daniel Vitale, owns an American flag that Brady signed in 2001 – the year he took over as starter before winning the Super Bowl. That flag was flown during the Patriots-Dolphins game at Foxboro Stadium that year and was later signed by Brady.
Vitale believes that it is the only flag known to have been signed by the seven-time Super Bowl champion. Last year he lent the flag to the Patriots Hall of Fame, who put it on display with other pieces of memorabilia from the 2001 season.
But when he got it back, Vitale discovered that the autograph from Brady had been partially faded – which he believes will substantially diminish its value if he puts it up for auction. Vitale claims that the lost value comes out to upwards of $1 million.
Based on the photos in the TMZ report, there’s definitely a difference in how it was sent to the team versus how Daniel Vitale got it back.
As of writing, the Patriots have not responded to the lawsuit.