Dan HajduckyESPN Close Hajducky is a journalist / investigator for ESPN. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University and has played on men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
The $ 518,000 sale of the game ball used in the “final” pass of Tom Brady, who had not retired, was canceled by mutual agreement between the buyer, the sender and the auction house, according to Lelands Auctions. Close
Hajducky is a journalist / investigator for ESPN. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University and has played on men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
Due to the unique nature of Brady’s decision to return 40 days after he first announced his retirement in late January – and less than 24 hours after the auction closed, no less – no money was exchanged, so the deal was simply canceled, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. “We wanted to do the right thing here,” said Mike Heffner, president and associate of Lelands, adding that while the original buyer has retired, the sender of the ball still plans to sell it privately through Lelands. 2 About “It’s the most unique situation we’ll probably ever encounter in our lives – at least when it comes to sports souvenirs. We’re not at the end of the book yet, we’ve written a chapter.” Even after the return of the seven-time Super Bowl champion to the Buccaneers and the subsequent drop in the value of the ball, Heffner says many potential buyers are still trying to buy it. “It’s still an incredible piece of history,” Hefner said. “Any Brady touch ball is.” It took a month for the canceled sale to be officially announced, as all parties involved waited to see if Brady would be left without a pension. According to Lelands, after communication between both the buyer and the sender, this delay was due to the desire to confirm Brady’s condition. “Everybody was waiting to see how it went,” Hefner said. “Tom Brady, let’s face it, is a bit unpredictable these days. Until he throws that first touchdown pass in September, this ball is still the record.”
