Skip to main content

Fan Sues Patriots: 'Priceless' Tom Brady Flag Damaged?

The New England Patriots are facing a different kind of penalty flag, as a New Hampshire man has filed a federal lawsuit around a Tom Brady artifact.

A New Hampshire man is suing the New England Patriots organization for improperly handling and causing irreparable damage to an American flag signed by former quarterback Tom Brady.

The flag in question, described as “a priceless piece of sports memorabilia and historical artifact,” flew at Foxboro Stadium's final regular season game against Miami in December 2001 at the end of Brady's first of 20 seasons as the Patriots' starting quarterback. 

The man, 42-year-old Daniel Vitale, purchased the flag in 2020 and loaned it to the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. Upon its return, Vitale noticed that Brady's signature, written in blue marker, had significantly faded, which his lawsuit claims is the result of “a significant gap in the (display) glass directly in front of the flag through which unfiltered light and heat could pass." 

"I am a die-hard Patriots fan and have been for 40 years,” Vitale told The AP. “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's lawsuit, said to be a last resort, claims that the value of the flag decreased by as much as $1 million upon the fading. He believed that the flag would increase further in value when Brady, now of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was planning to retire last spring. The AP report says that Vitale planned to use any profits from the flag to hire a nanny to care for his autistic daughter. 

The Patriots had "no immediate comment" on the affair. New England (1-3) returns to action on Sunday afternoon in Foxboro against the Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, Fox). 


Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

New England and beyond! Get your Patriots game tickets from SI Tickets ... here!

Follow Patriots Country on Twitter and Facebook

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Patriots? Click Here