Buccaneers QB Tom Brady released a new "'immunity blend supplement,' called PROTECT through TB12 Sports," according to Jenna Ciccotelli of BOSTON.com. The release on Monday follows a similar supplement bundle that "hit his virtual storefront at the end of March." PROTECT is sold as a 30-day supply for $45 and "claims to help activate the immune system while countering 'stress-induced immune suppression.'" The packaging lists vitamin C, larch tree extract and elderberry among the ingredients, and a disclaimer states the product is not FDA-approved and "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." Ciccotelli noted elderberry is "present in two products that have been flagged by the FDA as fraudulent in claiming to prevent or treat coronavirus" (BOSTON.com, 5/19). YAHOO SPORTS' Vinciane Ngomsi noted PROTECT "marks the first co-branded release with VitalFit," a nutrition company "which TB12 acquired earlier this year" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/18).
A MATTER OF TIMING: WFAN-AM's Gregg Giannotti notes people "got angry because they made the leap that Tom Brady is trying to capitalize on coronavirus." He added, "If somebody buys Tom Brady's $45 immunity blend from TB12 and thinks that they can take that and then go out into the world and not get coronavirus, that person is a flat-out moron and that has nothing to do with Tom Brady. ... Anybody who thinks that Tom Brady is capitalizing off of this stuff or did this because of the timing of it is just looking to be angry at something. I think that's a ridiculous take.” However, WFAN's Boomer Esiason said, “We’re in the middle of a pandemic and he’s trying to sell something that supposedly boosts your immune system. I can see how you can connect both of them” (“Boomer & Gio,” WFAN, 5/19).
