Tom Brady Explains Himself After ‘Tom Terrific’ Trademark Controversy

FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady drew the ire of sports columnists, politicians and New York Mets fans this week when he filed a trademark for the nickname “Tom Terrific.”

Brady has been called that name in the past, but it’s more closely associated with Tom Seaver, the Hall of Fame pitcher who starred for the Mets in the late 1960s and ’70s.

Asked for his take on the controversy after Thursday’s minicamp practice, the New England Patriots quarterback explained he actually doesn’t like the moniker. He filed the trademark, he said, to prevent others from using it in conjunction with his likeness.

“It’s unfortunate,” Brady said. “I was actually trying to do something because I didn’t like the nickname and I wanted to make sure no one used it because some people wanted to use it. So I was trying to keep people from using it, and then it got spun around into something different than what it was. Good lesson learned, and I’ll try to do things a little different in the future.”

Brady insisted he meant no disrespect to Seaver.

“I didn’t want people associating me with that (nickname), because that was something that I didn’t want to have happen,” the QB said. “I don’t like the nickname. I don’t like when people probably give me many nice compliments, certainly that. It wasn’t anything I was trying to do out of any disrespect or ill-manner or anything like that.”