Tom Brady refutes Dave Portnoy’s report of $75 million flag football payday
"While we’re breaking news... Elvis is doing the halftime show," Brady wrote.
Legendary Patriots quarterback Tom Brady disputed a report from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy about an eight-figure deal.
Brady, 48, is set to play in the Fanatics Football Classic, which is a flag football tournament that will take place in Saudi Arabia next March.
During a recent episode of ESPN’s “Wake Up Barstool,” Portnoy said that Brady was paid $75 million to play in the tournament.
Brady fired back on social media platform X, questioning where Portnoy got the figure from.
“Are we just picking numbers out of a hat and reporting them?” Brady said. “While we’re breaking news… Elvis is doing the halftime show, and babe Ruth is gonna sign some autographs for fans. Also I heard Dave prefers floppy pizza. Who cares about facts right?”
Portnoy’s guests, FOX broadcaster Greg Olson and former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, looked surprised when Portnoy said the figure.
“He got 75 million? Is that real?” Olson asked. “Wow. Good for him.”
“I hope I can get a job as an offensive coordinator on a flag team,” Gruden added.
Brady is set to take the field with a host of current and former NFL stars including Rob Gronkowski, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner, and Myles Garrett.
Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, and Pete Carroll will coach the three teams, which will compete in a round-robin format.
Both Portnoy and Olson asked Gruden how much money it would take to get him to participate in the tournament.
“Well, if I could coach Tom Brady in flag football, I’ll do it for free,” Gruden said. “That would be a great experience, since I’m the guy that turned him down in Las Vegas, maybe I’ll get a chance to coach him as it is right now, that would be unbelievable.”
The event is set for March 21, 2026, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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