NFL fan suing Patriots HOF for damaging $1 million American flag signed by Tom Brady

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:49 GMT

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A New England Patriots fan is suing the Patriots Hall of Fame after his Tom Brady-signed American Flag was damaged. The fan named Daniel Vitale said in the lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ.com, that he is suing the Patriots Hall of Fame for improperly displaying the piece.

Sports memorabilia is a huge thing for fans. They love their pieces as much as their families and children. Whether it be a signed jersey of their favorite player, an old piece of memorabilia from a game decades ago, or a photo, it all holds serious value.

The flag in question was signed by Brady a couple of years after he was named the Patriots' starter. Vitale is suing for damage as it is a rare piece of Brady memorabilia that has now lost a significant amount of value.

Vitale claims in the lawsuit that it wasn't displayed properly and thus caused Brady's signature to fade.

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Vitale said:

"Neither the lighting at [the facility] nor the glass [it] used for case displaying the flag were designed to protect autographed sports memorabilia. There was a significant gap in the glass directly in front of the flag through which unfiltered light and heat could pass."

Brady memorabilia worth a fortune

Ask any sports fan and they will tell you that owning a piece of memorabilia of one of the greatest sportspeople in the sport they love is incredible. For Vitale, having an American flag with the quarterback's signature is worth a lot. With the signature now faded, he claims he has lost roughly $1 million in value.

The fact that the signature from the 45-year-old quarterback is now just about unrecognizable means it loses its value.

This is the worst thing that can happen to collectors and for Vitale, his one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia is now worth considerably less. The lawsuit itself might seem laughable to many, prompting the notion that it might get thrown out or the memorabilia collector might walk away with far less than he bargained for.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit TMZ.com and H/T Sportskeeda.

About the author

Adam Schultz is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 5 years of experience. He prides himself on the accurate reporting of facts by double-checking every piece of information in his articles, and knows what exactly to highlight in them owing to his in-depth knowledge of the teams he covers.

Adam is a supporter of the Dallas Cowboys, who were the first team he saw play. Dez Bryant is his all-time favorite player, mostly due to the wide receiver's athleticism and the unique lack of weaknesses in his game.

If Adam could go back in time and watch any game, he would want to witness the “Dez Caught It” playoff game from January 2015, where Bryant and the Cowboys lost 26-21 to the Green Bay Packers in highly controversial circumstances at Lambeau Field.

When he isn't writing about or watching football, Adam enjoys doing sports photography.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann