Tom Brady's No. 12 jerseys have been the top-selling NFL item on Fanatics.com among all non-rookies since the Wells Report was released last Wednesday. Only Titans QB Marcus Mariota and Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston rank higher than Brady. Patriots jerseys on Fanatics.com also rank No. 2, behind only the Cowboys, since the report was released. Brady gear on the site has spiked 100% since the suspension was announced Monday afternoon (THE DAILY). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Andrew Beaton reported the Patriots' navy blue home uniform is the "top-selling item among the nearly 150 pieces of Tom Brady-related merchandise available at Fanatics" (WSJ.com, 5/12). In N.Y., Bernie Augustine notes buyers in Massachusetts are "behind the surge" in Brady apparel, followed by Florida, California (Brady’s home state), Washington and Michigan. Fans in 22 states "have purchased some piece of Brady merchandise in the last day" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/13). Patriots Exec Dir of Media Relations Stacey James said that sales of Brady jerseys at the Patriots’ Pro Shop and online "doubled over the same time period last year in the week leading up to the NFL’s decision to hand Brady a four-game suspension" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/13).
KEEP IT CLEAN: NFLShop.com appears to have added some terms to its list that are prohibited from appearing on the back of personalized jerseys following the release of the Wells Report. The league's online shop late yesterday banned terms such as "Deflator," "Cheater," "Con Artist" and "Flat Balls" from being put on new jersey orders after the DAILY was successful earlier in the day in attempts to create those name plates. Shope execs said they would not have shipped, even if they had been ordered. The NFL has a precedent of excluding certain names on personalized jerseys at its online shop, having banned the name “Ron Mexico” from QB Michael Vick’s No. 7 Falcons jerseys in '05 (THE DAILY).
