On the off-chance my headline doesn’t give you a pretty good idea how I feel about the non-GOAT (more on that, later), Tom Brady, I’m not a fan. Never have been. Especially during those years when Brady, Bill Belichick, and his New England Patriots were collecting Super Bowl rings, while division rival Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the (my) Indianapolis Colts could grab just one. But, I digress.

Before I continue to beat on Brady, let’s get to the issue at hand.

After a fair amount of confusion, including at RedState, that began when ESPN reported Brady’s intent to retire on Jan. 29, 2022, Brady denied his mind was made up on Jan. 31 — which proved to be nonsense. He officially retired the next day, on Feb. 1. After 22 seasons in the NFL, Tom Brady had decided it was time to go.

Meanwhile, as reported by Yahoo! Sports, an unidentified fan on March 12 paid $518, 612 for Brady’s “final” TD pass ball, thrown in a January 23 playoff game loss to the Los Angeles Rams, who ultimately went on to win the Super Bowl. Just one problem for the fan: Brady announced his “un-retirement” within hours, the very next day.

Needless to say, the value of the ball immediately collapsed; it’s now worth an estimated $20,000.

Before we continue, don’t misunderstand: This article isn’t about the “poor” fan who dropped a half mil on a football. Anyone who spends that kind of money on a speculative investment should be aware of the inherent risks. What it is about is Brady’s “solution” for the guy’s loss.

As reported by the New York Post, Brady, worth an estimated $250 million ($650 million, if we toss in his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen’s $400 million), on Friday posted to his 11.7 million Instagram followers:

Hey @ftx_official … could we donate a Bitcoin to the charity of this person’s choice?!

Bitcoin is currently worth approximately $42,000.

Did I mention Brady and Bundchen are equity partners in the digital equity (crypto) firm, FTX? So multizillionaire Brady apparently thinks it would be just awesome if the hapless fan comes out of this deal only having lost around $456,000 ($518K – 20K – 42K), while “Tom Terrific” (Brady once actually trademarked that) pimps his crypto firm in the process. As the headline says, pure Tom Brady.

Again, the fan took a chance and lost. That’s on him. Bizarre circumstances, but a chance just the same.

That said, if Brady chose to do anything in response, particularly because his “retirement? What retirement? I was just kidding!” routine, is responsible for the loss? He should have made the guy whole. Period. End of story.

And GOAT? No way. Greatest whiner of all time, perhaps. [wink emoji]

One last thing: Please go with Brady’s seven rings as an argument; teams win Super Bowls, not quarterbacks. Rather than further pontificate on my own, here are a few related links:

Why Tom Brady is actually the most overrated quarterback ever

Tom Brady: Where Does He Rank Among the Greatest QBs of All-Time?

Terry Bradshaw says Tom Brady isn’t the greatest quarterback of all time

OK, argue the issue amongst yourselves, but please don’t break the furniture.

Related on RedState:

Reports: Tom Brady’s Retirement Appears Imminent, as He Will Go out a Loser

Tom Brady Attempts a Funny at Trump’s Expense During Buccaneers’ White House Visit, Fails Miserably