(Bloomberg) — Following the successful launch of his first collection of NFTs, Tom Brady is going all in by offering a set that focuses on the beginning of his football career.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is launching a set on his Autograph NFT platform that highlights a resume he had created prior to his 2000 draft selection and includes a stopwatch, cleats and jersey used at the NFL combine, among other items. Whether it will include his famous shirtless picture from the professional tryout, which has since become an internet meme, remains to be seen.
More than 16,000 collectibles are part of the reveal — called “Live Forever: The Tom Brady Origins Collection” — though they’ll be a mystery at the time of purchase. Holders of Brady’s first drop will have early access to the new launch, which opens to the public on Dec. 9. Tokens owners can then unlock them starting on Dec. 14 — if opened, they will reveal a collectible in one of five possible styles and five possible tiers of rarity.
“When we saw such incredible demand for Autograph’s Preseason Access collection this summer, we knew the very next day that we wanted to start planning for what was next,” Brady said in emailed comments. “It’s such an exciting time in both this industry and personally in my career, so we wanted to commemorate it in real time as much as possible.”
Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen have been avid cryptocurrency supporters of late. The pair earlier this year took an equity stake in the crypto firm FTX as part of a long-term partnership that pays them an unspecified amount and type of crypto. Both also starred in a recent television ad for the exchange.
Meanwhile, interest for non-fungible tokens — which are known as NFTs and which allow holders of art and collectibles to track ownership — has exploded. A wide variety of them have become uber-popular and have commanded eye-popping prices at various auctions.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, co-founded Autograph earlier this year and launched a collection that sold out within minutes. A number of high-profile celebrities and athletes are involved with the platform, including Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Naomi Osaka, Tony Hawk and The Weeknd. Autograph also has partnerships with TV-and-movie behemoth Lionsgate, as well as with online sports-betting firm Draftkings.
Brady says he’s planning on giving NFTs as gifts this holiday season. “I’ve been surprised by how many people have been asking me about them. Literally, everybody has asked!” he said. “I’m glad that I’ve become so involved with NFTs so that I know what I’m talking about, otherwise gift giving could have gotten really complicated this year.”
When asked if he had worries the NFT market might be oversaturated, Brady jokingly said his biggest concern was making sure his collection sells out faster than Gronk’s did, a reference to his teammate, star tight end Rob Gronkowski.
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