Reddit co-founder grabs Tom Brady’s valuable rookie card, baggy pants and all

The New England Patriots’ struggles following the departure of star quarterback Tom Brady continued Saturday in a crushing 47-17 AFC Wild Card defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

But there is still value in Patriots lore, at least if it’s associated with Brady, according to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Ohanian recently took to Twitter with a post that claimed he purchased a rookie trading card of Brady in which the future seven-time Super Bowl winner was wearing less than auspicious, baggy gray sweatpants.

“Imagine @tombrady finding out his rookie card was gonna be a photo of him in some iconic sweatpants,” Ohanian tweeted.

Brady, who will lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reigning Super Bowl winners, Sunday in a NFC Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, responded to Ohanian’s post in a tweet that suggested he still has the sweatpants in his possession.

It’s not clear how much Ohanian paid for the collectible. But an autographed card of Brady, who is considered by some as football’s greatest player of all time, is highly valuable.

TMZ Sports reported that a 2000 season autographed card of Brady that hit the auction block at Lelands with a $250,000 starting bid could fetch up to $2 million. Last year, a high-grade Brady rookie card sold for $3.107 million, the most ever paid for a football card at a public auction at the time.

The former Michigan quarterback was drafted in 2000 by the Patriots organization with the 199^th overall pick. However, Brady went on to have one of the most successful careers in NFL history, including three MVP awards on his way to seven championship rings.

About a month before he was selected in the draft, Brady took part in the NFL scouting combine, during which his 5.24-second 40-yard dash didn’t impress many.

Sports observers still marvel at how much progress the lanky quarterback made since turning pro. Brady himself has both joked about the scouting reports that referred to his slight physical stature and lack of mobility, and used them for personal motivation. 

Ohanian, the wealthy tech entrepreneur, likes to collect sports cards. One of his most recent finds includes a Tiger Woods card featuring the famous golfer on his first Nike promotional tour after he turned pro in 1996. But he’s no stranger to sports as the husband of tennis great Serena Williams.

Last February, following Brady’s Super Bowl victory, Ohanian in an Instagram post said he was inspired to take his family to Disney World after watching Brady.