Does Tom Brady have the touch of Midas?
The 45-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced his retirement on Wednesday with pre-recorded video apparently filmed on a public beach in South Florida. Bids for a bottle of sand, reportedly from the same Surfside location, approached the $100,000 mark on Saturday.
And that’s just one bottle.
Other imitators soon followed on eBay, imagining bottles of sand against the same backdrop Brady sat in front of when he said he was retiring after 23 seasons.
But even though the market has been flooded with Brady’s sand, the original artifact’s price has continued to rise – and bidding is expected to continue for a week.
WARNING: EXPRESS LANGUAGE
Tom Brady (left) announced his retirement from a public beach in Surfside, Fla., where TikTik personality Betrcaroline (right) later filmed a short ad for a bottle of sand
The market for Brady’s sand was created by a TikTok personality, Betr Carol, who is trying to recoup some gaming losses.
“I’ve been a Tom Brady fan for a very long time and I’m actually sitting this morning right where he retired,” Carol said in the homemade video. “You can see the buildings, they are exactly the same.”
At this point, Carol reveals a punching bag.
“Every dollar I’ve lost this season betting on you, I’ll make it back because I’ll sell the sand you sat on when you retired. So thank you Tom Brady.’
On eBay, Carol helps prove the authenticity of her sandglass by photographing it in the background in front of Brady’s retirement video. She also encloses a February 1 issue of the New York Times to prove the photos are recent.
On eBay, Carol helps prove the authenticity of her sandglass by photographing it in the background in front of Brady’s retirement video. She also encloses a February 1 issue of the New York Times to prove the photos are recent
Other imitators soon followed on eBay, imagining bottles of sand against the same backdrop Brady sat in front of when he said he was retiring after 23 seasons
The video, which he posted Wednesday morning, was filmed at least a day before he posted it to social media, although he appeared to announce his final decision to the Bucs at 6am Wednesday morning – about two hours before he released his video to the world .
This is acc ESPN and NFL Network, who claim sources close to Brady said he shot his retirement announcement video “a while ago.” Also, the Boston Globe said Brady told his parents a week ago that he was retiring.
They quoted his father, Tom Brady Sr., as saying: “We are in no way shocked. He played football for 32 of his 45 years and lived his dream for three quarters of his life. It was a wonderful ride. He’s very confident in his decision.’
NFL Network’s Peter Schrager also tweeted on Wednesday: “According to sources close to Brady, the video posted this morning was shot before this morning. Kept this one awfully quiet.’
Schrager expanded on the news on Wednesday’s episode of “Good Morning Football.”
“That was filmed a while ago,” Schrager said on the show. “He was at an LA premiere on Tuesday night and did the film premiere [for ’80 for Brady’].
“The sun doesn’t rise in LA as you see there. So this is a record, meaning he knew and kept it secret for at least 48 hours.’
Posting the video announcing his retirement early Wednesday, Brady said, “Good morning folks. I’ll get straight to the point. I’m retiring forever.
“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I thought I’d just hit record and let you guys know first.”
“It’s not going to be long-winded. All you get is a super emotional farewell essay and I’ve used up mine last year, so…really, thank you to each and every one of you who support me.
“My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever, there are too many. Thanks guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change anything. Love you all.’
Brady’s final season ended when he and the Buccaneers were defeated 31-14 by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Wild Card round of the playoffs.