A fan named Daniel Vitale is not happy after he loaned the New England Patriots Hall of Fame a rare American flag autographed by Tom Brady.
He is now suing the Patriots for allegedly ruining the autographed flag by displaying it using improper techniques, which faded the autograph and possibly reduced the value of the flag by up to $1 million.
According to TMZ, he has had that flag signed by Brady since 2001, which is the year he took over as a starter before winning the Super Bowl. Vitale believes that it is the only flag known to have been signed by the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Things took a turn for the worst last year when he lent the flag to the Patriots Hall of Fame, which put it on display with other pieces of memorabilia from the 2001 season.
Once he got it back, Vitale discovered that the autograph from Brady had partially faded. He claims that the lost value comes out to upwards of $1 million.
The Patriots Hall of Fame presents itself as a museum, with a man named Kurt Evans as its curator, and the loan agreement reflects that, allegedly saying that the flag would be handled and displayed “using accepted professional library and museum techniques and standards.”
Evans allegedly assured Vitale several times that the HoF was a museum and his flag would be handled with care. Vitale claims that due to the language of the agreement and Evans’ assurances, he decided not to insist on insurance.
That was clearly a mistake.
