Tom Brady ‘Final TD Pass’ auction saga gets rare happy ending

New England Patriots legend Tom Brady did everything possible to put the Buccaneers in a position to win against the Rams in the divisional round. Ultimately, Brady was let down by his defense, which surrendered 30 points and 428 yards of offense.

The fact Tampa Bay got back into the game was mesmerizing, as they trailed 27-6 in the closing minutes of the third quarter. With the Bucs flipping a switch and the Rams doing everything possible to blow their lead, though, the contest quickly morphed into an all-time classic.

Lost in the chaotic finish, which featured 10 points scored in the final 42 seconds, was Brady tossing what seemed to be the final touchdown pass of his career; a 55-yard strike to Mike Evans, who dusted Jalen Ramsey.

Obviously unaware that Brady would retire, Evans tossed the ball into the stands and the fan whom caught the ball decided to put it up for auction. Initially expected to go for $1 million, the ball was eventually sold for $518,628.

Of course, Brady announced his retirement on Feb.1, but changed his mind 40 days later to return to the Buccaneers.

In a feel-good ending to this messy saga, Lelands Auctions announced that the sale of the football has been voided by mutual agreement between the buyer, consigner and auction house, according to ESPN’s Dan Hajducky.

The ball former Patriots QB Tom Brady used to throw his ‘final touchdown’ won’t be sold after all.

"“Following Tom Brady’s unretirement, and after discussions with both the buyer and consignor, we have mutually agreed to void the sale of the football,” Lelands said in a statement Thursday night. “The ball has not been returned to the consignor, and the plan now is for Lelands to sell it privately as per the seller’s wishes. There are multiple parties interested in purchasing the football.”"

It’s a surprising, yet uplifting turn of events given the buyer should have considered the possibility of Brady spurning retirement. Throughout most of the auction process, rumors hinting at Brady’s potential — if not inevitable — return to football were in full-swing.

Luckily for the buyer, Brady announced his unretirement less than 24 hours (!) after the auction was completed on March 12.

As a result, the ball wasn’t officially paid for yet and the description of the item, “Tom Brady’s Last Touchdown Pass Football,” was no longer accurate, which provided further incentive for all parties to void the auction.

At the end of the day, the buyer should consider himself lucky. It was misguided to assume the fourth-quarter touchdown to Evans would indeed be Brady’s final career touchdown pass. Let this serve as a lesson to the next individual who manages to get their hands on the final touchdown Brady throws next season.

Even if the seven-time champ discloses his intentions to retire again, you can never say never with Brady when it comes to finding his way back to the gridiron.

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