Tom Brady merchandise sales soar after suspension

By Ryan Lehrman | May 13, 2015

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) reacts as he takes the field before Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

New England fans are rallying around their leader following the Deflategate ruling, causing Tom Brady merchandise sales to skyrocket.

Buy your Tom Brady jerseys quickly, because his suspension might not last.

Since the NFL suspended Tom Brady for four games and fined the New England Patriots $1 million for the Deflategate scandal, merchandise sales for the Pats QB have nearly doubled.

According to Fanatics.com, the largest online retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise, Brady apparel became the NFL’s top-selling merch this week behind Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, the two top NFL draft picks. His sales have surged in the wake of the Wells “Deflategate” Report, which concluded “it’s more probable than not” that Brady personnel participated in under-inflating footballs during the AFC championship last season against the Indianapolis Colts.

More from New England Patriots

Before the report was released on May 6, Brady was ranked sixth in sales. In the last 48 hours, however, his jersey has solidified the spot as the most popular item. Unsurprisingly, the biggest consumer state is Massachusetts, trailed by Florida, California, Washington and Michigan.

Any press is good press, right?

Not typically, says Jack Boyle, who’s the president of merchandising for Fanatics. Boyle told CNBC that this sort of boost in sales doesn’t usually happen after bad publicity.

“We generally do not see an overall lift in sales if the news with a team is not favorable,” said Boyle.

But Brady seems to be an anomaly.

Still, while the suspension might be temporarily good for sales, many fans worry the Patriots record will suffer without their star veteran. That is, if his suspension isn’t overruled.

ESPN analyst Adam Schefter announced on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” that Brady could be reinstated, via a source who texted Schefter.

In any case, it turns out all this huff about nothing is becoming pretty lucrative.

More from New England Patriots

Home/New England Patriots