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Fan Receives a Bitcoin From Tom Brady after Returning 600th Touchdown Ball

On a historic night, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan was rewarded a Bitcoin from Tom Brady after he returned the ball following Brady’s 600th touchdown pass, which Mike Evans completed.

Brady became the first player in NFL history to throw for 600 touchdowns after leading Tampa Bay’s 38-3 thrashing of the Chicago Bears at the Raymond James Stadium.

Nine-year-old Noah Reeb, seated at the end zone seat, was given the ball by Evans after grabbing touchdown number 600 with six seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Reports suggest that the ball could be auctioned for anywhere from $500,000 to $900,000.

After almost losing ownership of the ball, the seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady offered Reeb via a tweet for 1 Bitcoin – roughly $62,081 at the time of publication – in exchange for the historical memento.

Brady is one of many crypto-friendly professional athletes and a part-owner in Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Trading Ltd.

After reading Brady’s Tweet, FTX responded that they’re ready to make the trade.

“It’s not every day you get handed the ball from Tom Brady’s 600th touchdown pass and give it back, and it’s not every day you get gifted a Bitcoin,” said Bankman-Fried. “FTX was happy to support Tom in thanking this fan for his generosity.”

Since its launch just two years ago, FTX has already become one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. The company recently raised more than $420 million in a funding round, swelling its valuation to $25 billion.

Brady, who launched his own nonfungible token platform called Autograph, plans to auction the ball as an NFT.

Not just the all-time leader in touchdown throws, Brady also is the NFL season leader with 21 touchdown tosses to go with just three interceptions in seven games so far.

At age 44, he’s already off to one of the best starts of his storied career.

ESPN and Autograph Sign First Multi-year NFT Deal

Multinational multimedia sports entertainment brand ESPN Inc. and Tom Brady-founded Web3 brand Autograph signed their first multi-year NFT agreement on Wednesday.

The 10-episode ESPN+ documentary series titled “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady”,

The Co-Founder and CEO at Autograph, Dillon Rosenblatt said that:

“This unique collection around Tom’s ‘Man in the Arena’ docuseries marks the beginning of our relationship with ESPN, As the first NFT partner for ESPN, the possibilities across sports and technology are endless, and we couldn’t be more excited to get this content out to the world in a massive way.”

The series consists of three ESPN Magazine covers featuring three stages of Brady’s career, victories, and achievements. 14 stories in total. Brady will sign fifty versions of these NFT covers.

The series would be produced by the media company Religion of Sports.

As reported by Blockchain.News on January 20, Autograph, an Sports and entertainment-driven NFT platform, has raised $170 million in Series B funding co-led by a16z and Kleiner Perkins.

PGA Tour Partners With Autograph to Create Digital Collectibles Platform

PGA Tour, the organizer of the main professional golf tours played by men in the United States and North America, has partnered with Autograph, a non-fungible token (NFT) platform, to create a new digital collectables platform that will focus exclusively on the world of Golf.

According to the announcement from the PGA Tour, Autograph will help in creating NFTs from videos, pictures, and moments that are exclusive to the competitions being organized by the tour.

“The PGA TOUR is excited to work with Autograph to offer digital collectables that highlight the most talented golfers in the world and their role in the sport’s history,” said Len Brown, PGA TOUR Chief Legal Officer and EVP, Licensing. “The TOUR is continuously looking for innovative ways to engage fans to bring them closer to the game and their favourite players, so we’re thrilled to start building the future of golf fandom with the Autograph team.”

The prospective users of the platform will be able to mint the NFTs, giving them access to exclusive benefits, including access to exclusive digital, in-person and onsite experiences, along with other program benefits.

Autograph came into the limelight in 2021 as an outfit to promote key events and historical moments in the world of sports. Co-founded by the legendary quarterback Tom Brady, the platform has the likes of Tiger Woods on its Board.

The startup received a massive head started in January when it raised $170 million in a Series B funding round. Besides its existing investors, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Kleiner Perkins participated in the round at the time.

In April of this year, Autograph signed its first multi-year deal with ESPN to immortalize some of the best moments of Tom Brady’s sporting career. With the current partnership with PGA Tour, Autograph now stands as one of the most versatile Web3.0 platforms in terms of collaborations.

Judge Considers Dismissing Shaquille ONeal and Naomi Osaka from FTX Lawsuit

In recent news, a federal judge in Florida, United States, is considering dismissing former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal and tennis athlete Naomi Osaka from the FTX lawsuit. The judge pointed out that it is unclear whether the two sports stars have been served, and instructed the plaintiffs to provide cause as to why O’Neal and Osaka should not be dismissed from the suit. The judge gave the FTX customers until December to show cause.

In another order issued on March 9, U.S. District Judge Kevin Moore reprimanded other celebrity defendants, including Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Kevin O’Leary, David Ortiz, and Trevor Lawrence, for not following proper procedure in requesting a time extension for a scheduled conference. The judge clarified that the request should have come from the plaintiff’s side, and instructed the conference to proceed as scheduled, or for the plaintiff to move for an extension of time to hold the conference.

As cases against FTX continue to pile up, some plaintiffs have requested the consolidation of lawsuits against the bankrupt exchange. However, on March 8, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley denied the consolidation request, highlighting that the defendants have not yet been allowed to respond. This means that the lawsuits will proceed separately for now.

On the same day, lawyers representing former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried noted that it might be necessary to push back the criminal trial scheduled to start in October 2023. While the lawyers did not formally request a date change, they pointed out that it may be needed because they are still waiting for evidence to be turned over, and Bankman-Fried accumulated more charges in February.

The FTX lawsuit was filed by customers who claimed that the cryptocurrency exchange had been involved in illegal market manipulation and trading practices that caused them financial harm. FTX has denied the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The case is still ongoing, with multiple parties involved in the proceedings.

Overall, the FTX lawsuit continues to be a complex and evolving legal matter, with various parties involved in the proceedings. The recent developments highlight the need for proper procedure and adherence to court orders, as well as the potential for further delays in the criminal trial involving former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. It remains to be seen how the case will unfold in the coming months.

Celebrities, Crypto, and Controversy: The Fallout of FTX's Bankruptcy

Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots and winner of seven Super Bowls, served as an ambassador for the FTX bitcoin and crypto exchange, According to New York Times.

He advertised the new company as the most reliable establishment in the cryptocurrency industry using a variety of platforms, such as a commercial shown during the Super Bowl, billboards, and a conference held by FTX in the Bahamas. FTX represented a considerable portion of Brady’s personal wealth.

FTX paid him $30 million as part of an endorsement agreement he signed with the company in 2021; the payment was nearly completely in the form of FTX shares. This arrangement was a component of the contract. Gisele Bundchen, who was his ex-wife and a supermodel, was given FTX shares for 18 million dollars.

FTX has been declared insolvent last year, and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, is being investigated for criminal fraud.

Customers of FTX have filed a lawsuit against Brady and Bundchen in an effort to get compensation from the celebrities who endorsed the exchange.

The predicament that Brady and Bundchen are in is representative of a bigger pattern in which celebrities who promoted cryptocurrencies or who invested in them are now dealing with the aftermath of the market for cryptocurrencies.

The list of famous individuals who have been embroiled in FTX controversies, including those related to cryptocurrency, is extensive and includes figures such as Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Reese Witherspoon, Matt Damon, Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, and Shaquille O’Neal.

In addition to these celebrities, FTX also attracted significant investment from institutional investors. Some of the most notable among these include Sequoia Capital, BlackRock, Tiger Global Management, SoftBank, and Temasek.

In 2021, Brady helped start the firm Autograph, which assists renowned persons in the process of selling nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

In a case that accuses celebrities of deceiving investors, Brady and Bundchen are among the celebrities named as defendants.

Larry David, Steph Curry, and Naomi Osaka are some of the other defendants in this case. All three of them supported FTX. Because they did not finalise possible arrangements with FTX, several celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, barely avoided becoming caught up in the crypto debacle.