Tom Brady in a white NOBULL t-shirt and khaki pants, fist clenched, walking through an enthusiastic crowd at a large indoor event.
Bryan Bedder / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Gossip

Dave Portnoy Says Tom Brady’s Post-Retirement Run Is “One Of The Great Downfalls Of An Icon.”

By

The Barstool founder isn’t holding back on Brady’s WWE-adjacent stunt run. He says a seven-time Super Bowl champ is turning his own legacy into a punchline.

The comment came after a viral moment where Brady slapped Logan Paul across the face on stage at Fanatics Fest in New York, part of an ongoing back-and-forth widely read as a publicity stunt for an upcoming event with the wrestling world.

Logan Paul in a white tank top and blue cargo pants shouting and pumping his fist onstage in front of a Fanatics banner.
Logan Paul pumps his fist and shouts onstage during the Impaulsive panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at the Jacob Javits Center on July 18, 2026. Photo by Daniel Zuchnik / Getty Images.

Portnoy went further than one insult. “This is a legacy that is being lame-ified,” he said, before adding: “What is happening with Tom Brady post-retirement is one of the great downfalls of an icon. You don’t want to see him mixed up in lowbrow TikTok flag football leagues in Saudi Arabia or whatever it is. Everything about him is cringy right now to me.”

Tom Brady in a tan suede jacket speaking into a microphone onstage at Fanatics Fest NYC, holding a white card, with WWE-style championship belts visible in the background.
Mic in hand and a Fanatics Fest card in the other, Tom Brady addresses the crowd from the stage at Jacob Javits Center during Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 on July 19, 2026. Photo by Rob Kim / Getty Images.

Related Articles

Touchdown Wire’s Stacey Mickles laid out why the money question doesn’t explain it. Brady works as a broadcaster with Fox Sports and owns a piece of the Las Vegas Raiders, so the theatrics aren’t about a paycheck.

The piece also drew a contrast with other legends. Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Peyton Manning stayed away from anything like it, with Manning building his own production company, Omaha, and leaning into comedy on “Peyton’s Places” instead.

Five years ago, Brady was the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing catch with his son Jack.

If this resonated, follow Thought Catalog on Facebook and explore more stories on our website.