The recent New York Times article regarding the latter days — and financial cost — of Tom Brady’s failed relationship with FTX includes a little news about his other crypto-style venture, Autograph.
Per the Times, Autograph “has also struggled.”
Revenues “sank” last year due to the collapse of the crypto market, causing the focus of the company to shift away from marketing crypto tokens and to “helping celebrities find ways to foster loyalty with their fans.” The company’s marketing efforts have dumped some crypto-relevant language, such as “NFT.”
Likewise, Autograph has laid off more than 50 employees.
Brady has attempted to turn his football fame into different types of revenue. It’s unclear how well the efforts are going. FTX was an embarrassing disaster that has left him facing significant civil liability. Autograph is retooling on the fly. The grand vision to make TB12 facilities as commonplace as the Golden Arches has never come close to reality. And who knows how many people are buying Brady-brand underwear or whatever else he’s selling?
Look, there’s no dispute that Brady has won the game of life in a blowout. But his non-football ventures haven’t come close to touching his on-field success. It remains to be seen whether he ever stumbles across something that will.