Final Decision on Tom Brady's 'Final Touchdown' Ball That Was Sold for $518K Revealed

There has been a decision made on the sale of Tom Brady's "last touchdown" ball that was sold for $518,000 shortly after Brady announced his retirement in February. According to Lelands Auctions (per ESPN), the sale has been voided by mutual agreement between the buyer, cosigner and auction house. The reason for the voided sale is Brady announced he will return to play football for the 2022 season 40 days after his retirement announcement and 24 hours after the auction closed. No money was exchanged, so the agreement was simply nullified. 

Per CBS Sports, Jeffrey Lichtman, the attorney representing the buyer of the football, told The Action Network that his client was looking to void the sale as soon as Brady announced his NFL return. The "last touchdown" pass came in the NFC divisional round playoff game when Brady, quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, threw a 55-yard score to Mike Evans, who threw the ball into the stands and a fan caught it. 

"We wanted to do the right thing here," said Mike Heffner, president and partner at Lelands, per ESPN. "It's the most unique situation that we'll probably ever encounter in our lifetimes — at least when it comes to sports memorabilia. We're still not to the end of the book yet; we've written a chapter." It took a month to announce the voided sale because all parties were waiting to make sure Brady would stay unretired. "All parties were waiting to see how it played out," Heffner said. "Tom Brady, let's face it, is kind of unpredictable these days. Until he throws that first touchdown pass in September, this ball is still the record."

Brady spent the last two seasons playing for the Buccaneers after being with the New England Patriots for 20 years. In his career, Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots and one Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. And based on the way he has played the last two seasons, Brady should be in a position to win another Super Bowl in 2022. 

"These past two months I've realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady wrote on Twitter announcing his return. "That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG."