Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Tom Brady

New England Patriots: Bronze Brady

by

FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots, while inducting the legendary Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame on Wednesday, delivered a few surprises for the retired quarterback.

Embed from Getty Images

Team owner Robert Kraft revealed that the Patriots are retiring Brady’s uniform No. 12 and are commissioning a 12-foot-tall bronze Brady statue that will be installed during the 2024 season.

“(The statue) will stand alone in the plaza outside of the Hall of Fame to symbolize his position, not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history,” Kraft said.

The ceremony drew a crowd of 60,000 to the Patriots’ home stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on the night of an NBA Finals game featuring the Boston Celtics. The three-hour festivities included appearances by scores of Brady’s former teammates and ex-Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It was the first time Belichick returned to Foxborough since he resigned at the end of last season.

Brady gave thanks to all, saying, “I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”

He added of Belichick, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

Brady, playing under Belichick, spent 20 years with the Patriots, leading the team to six Super Bowl championships. He later added another title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Belichick, greeted with huge cheers from Patriots fans, said to Brady, “Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And thank you for the example and model you’ve been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years. Congratulations.”

Brady Lost $30 Million in FTX Collapse

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady lost millions in the collapse of cryptocurrency company FTX, for which he served as an ambassador, The New York Times reported Friday. Under an agreement the retired NFL quarterback made with FTX in 2021, he received $30 million in now-worthless stock for his work pitching the company in television ads and at its conference. In step with him at the time was his then-wife, Gisele Bundchen, who received $18 million in stock, per the report.

Embed from Getty Images

FTX filed for bankruptcy last November. Its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, is facing federal fraud-related charges.

And Brady, who won seven Super Bowl titles in his career, also faces legal peril on top of the financial losses. Both Brady and Bundchen, who officially divorced last October, are being sued by FTX investors who want repayment from celebrity endorsers. Basketball Hall of Fame member Shaquille O’Neal also has been sued in the FTX case, as have Larry David of “Seinfeld” fame, tennis player Naomi Osaka and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

“None of these defendants performed any due diligence prior to marketing these FTX products to the public,” according to the lawsuit, obtained by the Times. It was filed in federal court in Florida.

Before the collapse of FTX, it was valued at $32 billion, including $48 million in shares held by Brady and Bundchen, per the Times. Now, it has no value.

Brady, 45, ranked No. 50 on Forbes’ 2023 list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes with earnings of $45.2 million in football salary and endorsements.

Brady Files Retirement Papers

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Tom Brady filed his retirement paperwork with the NFL and NFL Players Association on Friday, several reports said, cementing the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s Feb. 1 announcement that his playing days were over.

Embed from Getty Images

Brady retired last winter, walked it back 40 days later and played one final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers got three seasons with Brady, winning a Super Bowl in his first year on the scene and losing in the playoffs the next two seasons.

Now the bill has come due for Tampa Bay, as it will take a full $35 million dead-cap hit in 2023 as a result of Brady’s retirement.

Had Brady worked with the Bucs on a contract amendment to keep Brady on the books with so-called voidable years and processed his retirement after June 1, they would have been able to split the dead-cap hit between 2023 and 2024. Instead, multiple reports said, all $35 million will be assessed in 2023, putting Tampa Bay nearly $60 million over the salary cap.

 

Tom Brady Packs It In, For Good

by

TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former New England Patriots quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is retiring “for good” after 23 seasons in the NFL. Brady, 45, had announced his retirement on the same exact day (Feb. 1) last year, but reversed his decision six weeks later, claiming he had “unfinished business.”

His return to Tampa Bay came after his break-up with his wife, Gisele Bündchen, the world famous model from Brazil.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Brady’s final season ended in the Bucs’ 31-14 play-off defeat last month.

“I’m retiring – for good,” he said in an emotional video posted to his social media accounts. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.

“It won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.

“Thank you so much to every single one of you for supporting me – my family, my friends, my team-mates, my competitors. I could go on forever – there’s too many. Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”

 

NFL Sports Desk: Christmas Round-Up

by

MIAMI – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Green Bay veteran QB Aaron Rodgers completed 24 of 38 passes for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception to lead the Packers to a 26-20 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day.

Green Bay (7-8) won its third consecutive game and kept its NFC playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins (8-7) dropped their fourth in a row but still would clinch an AFC wild-card berth if they win their last two games.

Embed from Getty Images

Jaire Alexander, De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas each had fourth-quarter interceptions of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to help the Packers put the game away.

Tagovailoa threw a career-high three interceptions in a game, completing 16 of 25 passes for 310 yards and an 84-yard touchdown to Jaylen Waddle.

Buccaneers 19, Cardinals 16 (OT)

Ryan Succop capped a four field-goal performance by drilling a 40-yarder with 3:41 remaining in overtime to lift Tampa Bay to a victory in Glendale, Ariz.

Tom Brady completed 32 of 48 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown to rookie Rachaad White for the Buccaneers (7-8), who remained one-game ahead of the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints atop the NFC South.

James Conner rushed 15 times for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals (4-11), who have lost five in a row. Trace McSorley completed 24 of 45 passes for 217 yards and an interception in his first career start.

Rams 51, Broncos 14

Rams oft-injured running back Cam Akers ran for three touchdowns, and newly acquired, journeyman QB Baker Mayfield connected with Tyler Higbee for two more and Los Angeles thoroughly embarrassed Denver in Inglewood.

Akers ran for 118 yards on 23 carries, becoming the first Los Angeles running back to crack the 100-yard mark this year. Mayfield picked apart the Broncos (4-11) to the tune of 24-for-28 passing for 230 yards.

It was a season-high point output for the Rams (5-10), who led 31-6 at the half and never looked back. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was 15 of 27 for 214 yards and three interceptions in his first game back after missing one game due to a concussion.

–Field Level Media

Brady Surpasses 100,000 Career Yards

by

TAMPA/St. PETERSBURG – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) –  Tom Brady became the first player in NFL history to rack up 100,000 career passing yards across the regular season and playoffs Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback entered Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams standing at 99,836 total yards. He surpassed 100,000 on a fourth-quarter pass to running back Leonard Fournette, who went 15 yards on a third-down play.

“I think for me it’s a credit to all the guys that I’ve played with, and who have blocked for me, who have caught passes,” Brady said after the game. “I think I can’t do (expletive) in this league without guys doing what they are amazing at, too.”

Brady made sure the milestone happened in a winning effort. He engineered a 60-yard drive in 35 seconds with no timeouts and connected with rookie tight end Cade Otton on 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining to lift Tampa Bay over the Rams, 16-13. That play gave Brady 280 passing yards for the game and 100,116 for his career.

It marked another NFL record — Brady’s 55th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning.

Brady already owns the career regular-season passing yards record, which he took from Drew Brees last season. Brees is a distant second on the list for regular-season plus postseason yardage, at 85,724.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Brady Mounts Comeback Win

by

TAMPA/St. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Tom Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 100,000 yards — counting playoff games — and led a last-minute drive Sunday to pace the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Brady drove Tampa Bay (4-5) 60 yards in 35 seconds with no timeouts, finding rookie tight end Cade Otton for a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining. Otton’s 28-yard catch over the middle on the drive’s first play pushed the Bucs into Los Angeles territory and a pass interference call in the end zone set up a first-and-goal.

Brady completed 36 of 58 passes for 280 yards as the Buccaneers won for just the second time in seven games and moved into a tie with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South.

Matthew Stafford connected on just 13 of 27 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (3-5), who now trail Seattle by 2 1/2 games in the NFC West. Los Angeles has been outscored 71-10 in the fourth quarter this year.

Ryan Succop kicked three field goals for Tampa Bay, its only points until Brady assured his record-setting effort would come as part of a much-needed win.

In a rematch of January’s NFC Divisional Round classic — won by Los Angeles on a last-play field goal by Matt Gay — the teams spent the first half demonstrating why neither is anywhere near that level in 2022.

Tampa Bay initiated scoring on its first possession, controlling the ball for more than 6 1/2 minutes before settling for Succop’s 20-yard field goal at the 7:16 mark of the first quarter.

The Rams didn’t run a single play from the Buccaneers’ half of the field in the first half of play, but still made one big play to take a lead into halftime. That was Stafford’s 69-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp just over two minutes into the second quarter. Kupp broke open down the numbers on the right side and Stafford hit him in stride for his sixth score in eight games.

Gay made a 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the third quarter to give the Rams a 13-6 lead before Tampa Bay’s comeback.

–Field Level Media

Brady Announces Return to Tampa Bay

by

TAMPA BAY – The return of Major League Baseball was not the biggest sports story today, nor was the Celtics’ retirement of Kevin Garnett‘s no. 5 at the TD Garden. The final day of the College Basketball conference tournament week and the NCAA Selection Show probably came in at No. 2 on the big sports story list.

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starter the past two seasons, used his social media accounts to announce his return to the NFL and the Buccaneers for the 2022 season. Talk about seizing the day and its headlines!

Developing story…

Brady Leads Bucs to Win vs Cowboys

by

TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Reporting) – Tampa Bay place kicker Ryan Succop laced a 36-yard field goal with two seconds left, after Bucs’ aging but amazing quarterback, Tom Brady, passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-29 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the 2021 NFL season.

Embed from Getty Images

The win for Tampa began their 2021 Super Bowl defense but the Cowboys did not go down easy as they rallied to take a 29-28 lead when kicker Greg Zuerlein placed  a 48-yard field goal between the uprights with 1:24 remaining in the game before Brady drove the Buccaneers 57 yards on 11 plays to set up Succop’s game-winning field goal.

Brady, 44, completed 32 of 50 passes and was intercepted twice during his 300th career regular-season start. Brady’s compadre from New England, Rob Gronkowski, caught eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdown passes while Antonio Brown (five receptions, 121 yards) and Chris Godwin (nine for 105) also had scoring receptions for the Buccaneers (1-0).

Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns but one interception on 42-of-58 passing for Dallas (0-1) in his first game since sustaining a severe right ankle injury nearly 11 months ago. Dallas wide-out Amari Cooper had a career-best 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns while his fellow wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, had seven catches for 104 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay led by two late in the game and looked en route to adding to the advantage, but Godwin was hit hard by Damontae Kazee and fumbled at the 2-yard line. Jourdan Lewis recovered in the end zone and returned it to the Dallas 10 with 4:52 remaining. The Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Zuerlein’s go-ahead kick. The key play was when Prescott connected with Lamb for 34 yards on third-and-11 to the Buccaneers’ 34.

Brady guided the comeback on a night when the Buccaneers were outgained 451 yards to 431. The Cowboys were without six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin due to a positive test for COVID-19.

In the first half, Brady threw a trifecta of touchdown passes to Godwin (5 yards), Gronkowski (2) and Brown (47) as the Buccaneers built a 21-16 lead. Prescott tossed scoring passes to Lamb (22 yards) and Cooper (5).