Tom Brady Re-Signs Damaged American Flag At Center Of Lawsuit
New England Patriots fan Daniel Vitale filed a lawsuit against the team's Hall of Fame last month alleging that they ruined Tom Brady signed American flag. Vitale claimed that the Hall of Fame’s error cost him over $1 million.
The GOAT has stepped in to help with the situation, and all is right again.
According to TMZ Sports, the Patriots helped get Brady to re-sign the flag after his return following his Tampa Bay Buccaneers win over the Seattle Seahawks in Germany.
Vitale even believes that the new Brady signature, which is "four times" larger than the original, makes the unique piece of memorabilia worth more than $1 million.
The Patriots Allegedly Ruined The Original Flag
This entire debacle could have been avoided if the Patriots had displayed Vitale's flag properly in the first place, at least, that's according to him.
The flag itself flew at Foxboro Stadium back in 2001 when the Miami Dolphins visited the Patriots and was signed by Brady a few years later. It's believed to be the only American flag ever signed by Brady.
The problems all started when Vitale offered the Patriots Hall of Fame to display the flag, but only if it were"curated to the highest standard." When Vitale considered asking for the flag back with Brady memorabilia prices skyrocketing he discovered it was not curated to a high standard whatsoever.
In the suit, Vitale said “neither the lighting at nor the glass use for case displaying the flag were designed to protect autographed sports memorabilia” noting there was a significant gap in the glass.
This allowed unfiltered light and heat into the case, which in turn faded the signature on the flag.
Vitale's frustration with the Patriots is more than warranted, as you can see with the before-and-after photos following the flag's display.
It's all in the rearview mirror at this point, however, and Vitale has a new-and-improved version of one of the most unique pieces of NFL memorabilia out there.