Fan Sues New England Patriots for Tom Brady Flag

A fan is suing the New England Patriots for ruining his Tom Brady-signed flag. According to the Associated Press, Daniel Vitale has filed a lawsuit for causing irreparable damage to a U.S.flag signed by Brady by improperly displaying it in the team’s Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. The signature faded after the flag had been on display for a couple of months. The flag was valued at as much as $1 million, but it has been reduced due to the faded signature. 

“I am a die-hard Patriots fan and have been for 40 years,” Vitale recently told the Assocaited Press. “That flag was so significant to me because it was right after 9/11 and it was the last regular-season game at Foxboro Stadium.”  Vitale lent the flag to the Patriots Hall of Fame in June 2021 after being told it would be taken care of properly. Vitale said he asked for the flag back a couple of months later because he thought Brady was going to retire. He did get the flag back but noticed the signature faded. 

The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and fraudulent misrepresentation and it seeks a jury trial with unspecified damages. “I’ve tried to do everything I can to settle with these guys, but they don’t even want to talk to us,” Vitale said. The flag was acquired by Vitale in early 2020 and was flown during the Patriots-Dolphins game in 2001, which is the same season Brady took over as the starter in New England. Brady signed the flag a few years later. 

Brady played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2019 and led the team to nine Super Bowl appearances with six Super Bowl wins. He left the team in 2020 to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in his first season. 

“Twenty years ago, I arrived in New England from a different coast, a different part of the country and a different culture,” Brady wrote in a letter to Patriots fans in 2020. “Today, I’m transitioning into another chapter of my life and career. It involves gathering up all the things I’ve learned in my life so far and moving to a different coast, a different part of the country and a different culture. If that feels familiar, there’s a good reason why. Because that’s how it started. My journey over the past 20 years in New England has been amazing. It’s been a long road, and I wouldn’t change anything about it.”