Tom Brady files for “Tom Terrific” trademark to Mets’ chagrin

The New York Mets are displeased that Tom Brady has filed to trademark the nickname “Tom Terrific,” as the name was also used for Tom Seaver.

Tom Brady is already an unpopular figure in the Big Apple. He led the Patriots to two Super Bowl appearances against the New York Giants – although he lost both – and his team has also ritualistically beaten the snot out of the New York Jets’ division title hopes for the better part of two decades now.

Now, it appears Gotham City’s collective populace has yet another reason to despise the greatest quarterback of all time.

Brady has reportedly filed for a trademark protection of the nickname “Tom Terrific” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If approved, he will be granted sole ownership of the name for merchandise, sports apparel, and trading card use.

According to the report, Brady filed for the trademark under the umbrella application of his TB12 brand, which also encompasses clothing, nutritional products, books, exercise and sports therapy centers, and other lifestyle and fitness components.

The problem, according to the New York Mets at least, is that the nickname “Tom Terrific” is already in use. Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, who played for the Mets from 1967 to 1977 and helped the franchise win the World Series in 1969, was regularly referred to as “Tom Terrific” during his career there.

While Seaver never filed to trademark the nickname for branding purposes, he now reportedly suffers from dementia and has retired from public life altogether, which has only further contributed to the New York City outcry against Brady’s actions. A local New York restaurant announced plans to host a pro-Mets, anti-Brady protest dinner on Tuesday evening, and a number of Empire State sportswriters and baseball analysts decried the turn of events as either “tacky” or “classless.”

Even the Mets themselves got into the fray on Monday, tweeting out their support of Weaver maintaining use of the nickname.

As of this writing, there is no timeline for when a decision from the U.S.P.T.O. is expected. But realistically, since Seaver never filed to trademark the name himself, it stands to reason that Brady should eventually be successful in his latest marketing attempt, whether New Yorkers like it or not.