Tom Brady Gave Fan a Bitcoin For his 600th Football, But It Could Have Been So Much More
Tom Brady threw his 600th career touchdown pass on Sunday. Mike Evans caught the touchdown and gave it to a fan without realizing what he was doing. Someone from the Bucs went over and asked for the ball and Byron Kennedy gave it back. Over the next 24 hours Brady and the Bucs showered Kennedy with rewards. Can it be all so simple?
When we first saw the leather piece of history disappear into the stands while Tom Brady shouted, "NO," we chuckled. Then when Kennedy gave the ball back many shouted, "NO!" How could he have just given it back without asking for anything? After all, Tom Brady is quite rich.
On Monday afternoon the TB12 brand tweeted that Kennedy would get a complimentary session at the TB12 Center in Tampa. Look at the replies and quote tweets. Everyone thought the guy who simply did the decent thing was an idiot who left money on the table.
Hey @yohoitsbo! Thanks for giving @TomBrady his 600th TD ball back ?
— TB12sports (@TB12sports) October 25, 2021
We'd love to offer you a complimentary 1-on-1 Body Coach Session at our TB12 Center in Tampa. Let us know if you're interested and we will set it up ?
LFG! #GoBucs
But then a few hours later more details came out thanks to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Kennedy was gifted two signed jerseys and a helmet from Brady, another signed jersey from Evans along with the cleats he wore in the game. Plus a thousand dollars at the Bucs team store and season passes for this and next season. That's a pretty nice haul, but it wasn't all.
Bucs are giving Byron Kennedy the following for the No. 600 TD football: Two signed jerseys and a helmet from Tom Brady, a signed Mike Evans jersey & his game cleats, a $1K credit at our team store, and two season passes for the remainder of this season as well as next season.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) October 25, 2021
Brady appeared on the Monday Night Football Manningcast and revealed that he gave Kennedy a bitcoin. He also joked that Kennedy should have held onto the ball because he lost all leverage when he gave it back. A bitcoin is currently worth over $60,000. The Action Network estimates the value of his total haul was just short of $100K.
Tom Brady said the Bucs fan lost all his leverage once he gave up the 600th TD ball.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 26, 2021
But Brady is giving him a bitcoin ? pic.twitter.com/upGBpmcMDS
Could he have gotten more? Most definitely. Did he still do really well? Yes. Consider the fact that the ball was handed to him accidentally and he only posessed it for a few minutes.
The craziest part of this story is that everyone involved did the right thing without anyone encouraging them to do so. The fan gave the ball back and Brady and the Bucs took care of him. It's actually very nice.
At least until you get to the part where Brady says he's turning the football into an NFT and then you remember how much money he has and how much more money he's apparently going to make off the *idea* of the football. Kennedy should have held out for every penny he could squeeze out of Brady. Sometimes it's OK to do the wrong thing.