Collectors rage at Tom Brady, accuse NFL icon of ruining memorabilia at Miami event: "What the F is this?”
Tom Brady made the headlines last week for ruining the experience of his fans at the EXMA event in Miami after disgruntled collectors claimed that the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s autograph was inexcusable.
Per the latest report from USA TODAY, a slew of memorabilia collectors were left furious at the quality of the autographs they received from Tom Brady after paying thousands of dollars for the NFL G.O.A.T's signature on their prized sports items.
“It’s the same thing as being in a graveyard or cemetery and knocking over stones or defacing them. That's what Brady did,” memorabilia collector Glenn Gagnon told USA TODAY.
Gagnon, who spent over $3,600 for VIP tickets to the weekend business conference in Miami, said he was surprised by Brady’s signature, which looked 'something like a four-year-old did'.
Tom Brady collectibles can't get authenticated, fans express disappointment
Fans reportedly brought memorabilia like the 2000 NFL Draft ticket, where Brady was the 199th pick, the ball Brady threw to Rob Gronkowski to win their first Super Bowl, and old game tickets among other sentimental items.
Furthermore, CBS Boston reported that Gagnon’s friends from Grails Collectibles in Nashua spent $54,000 on footballs and twelve other items that are deemed irrelevant today by authenticators.
The complaints didn’t stop there. Besides Gagnon, several other collectors took to social media to vent about their underwhelming experience.
Derek Wagner, who purchased six tickets to the event, brought Brady’s game-used cleats from 2005 and 2006, a game-used ball from Brady’s debut. Wagner found Brady’s speech motivating but when he saw the autographs, he said:
“What the F is this?”
Greg Nazareth brought items 'probably worth six figures in value' for Brady to sign, only to be disappointed with the former New England Patriots legend's signature.
“All in all, I would have never paid $3,600 to receive the signature I got today on the items I brought,” Nazareth said in a Facebook post.
Another Brady fan Brad Jarrett questioned the Super Bowl winner's effort or lack thereof. He wrote:
“Tom let his emotions get the best of him and didn’t hurt the promoters he hurt those of us who were there with items. He could’ve easily refused to sign, he could’ve signed only items that matched what he was contracted to sign. What he didn’t have to do though was put squibbles on everyone’s items and ruin them, that was a choice Tom made and it was wrong and makes him just as accountable as the shady promoters of this event.”
What's bizarre is that although the autographs originally came from Brady, authenticators are not completely sold on them as the signatures on these items don't match the actual ones.
“I’m trying to fix it. I don’t know what is the solution because I don’t know what is the problem, but I’m hoping to receive every phone call,” EXMA founder and CEO Anzures told USA TODAY.
On the other hand, cllct reported that ‘Brady was blindsided’ as event organizer Fernando Anzure was ‘unclear’ with the NFL icon and attendees about the terms of the Miami conference.