The Gunslinger was in Florida to support the GOAT. And the T-shirt Brett Favre wore Sunday in support of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is now on the auction block.
Favre was in Tampa on Sunday to watch Brady earn his first victory with the Buccaneers. Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in Tampa Bay’s 31-17 victory against the Carolina Panthers.
Favre, who entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame, wore a white T-shirt with a vintage Bucs “Bucco Bruce” logo on it. But instead of Bucco Bruce, the face on the logo was Brady’s.
Favre signed the shirt “HOF 16” and added the note “Tom Brady is the GOAT.” The shirt is being sold by Pristine Auction and includes an official Favre hologram and matching certificate of authenticity from Radtke Sports, which has an memorabilia contract the former quarterback.
The proceeds from the winning bid will be donated to Favre’s Favre4Hope foundation.
Cameras were whirring Sunday as Favre went to his seat at Raymond James Stadium. The stadium was mostly empty except for players, officials, team staff and stadium personnel.
Several Buccaneers players were miffed by Favre’s appearance.
“So, he can go to the game but my family can’t? Interesting,” Bucs center Ryan Jensen tweeted after Sunday’s game.
Spotted in Tampa Bay 👀
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 20, 2020
Brett Favre crushing some chips while wearing a Tom Brady @Buccaneers shirt pic.twitter.com/OZfLAR21NV
Nevertheless, Favre was showing his support for his fellow quarterback.
Favre had publicly backed Brady, who struggled in his Tampa Bay debut at New Orleans on Sept. 15. Brady threw a pair of touchdowns but also threw two interceptions, including one that was returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Janoris Jenkins.
According to Pro Football Reference, Brady joined Matt Schaub and Blaine Gabbert as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw a pick-six in three consecutive games. Schaub and Garrett did it during the 2013 season.
Brady’s Hall of Fame credentials are secure. With nine Super Bowl appearances and six rings to his credit, Brady can be forgiven for having a bad game on occasion. Brady on Sunday became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 75,000 yards, joining the Saints’ Drew Brees.
Brees outshone Brady in the season opener. Brady was 15 of 28 passing for 157 yards and one touchdown through the first 54 minutes of Tampa Bay’s 34-23 loss at New Orleans. He added a touchdown pass to Mike Evans with less than three minutes to play to finish with 239 yards passing.
On Sept. 15, Favre took issue with Bucs coach Bruce Arians publicly calling out Brady after the game. Among other observations, Arians, who has never been known to mince words, called Brady’s pick-six “a bad decision.”
“I think the last person you want to call out after the first game of the year is Tom Brady,” Favre said Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Now maybe they had a mutual truce going into the game, going into the season, ‘Hey, I’m going to be hard on you. I want the guys to know we’re going to treat you the same even though technically I’m not, so are you OK with it?’ If they have that truce, great. If not, I think you are barking up the wrong tree.”
Favre added that the chemistry between Brady and his Tampa Bay receivers “will come.”
“Will it come overnight? I highly doubt it but it will come pretty quickly, though, and they very easily could be 4-1 after five weeks,” Favre said.
The Prestige Auction event ends Sept. 30.