Tom Seaver, Tom Brady
ESNY Graphic, AP Photo

The New England Patriots’ star quarterback is trying to trademark a beloved former New York Mets pitcher’s nickname.

New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady has requested a trademark on the name “Tom Terrific” so his company, TEB Capital, may display it on merchandise associated with him. The request was first reported by Gerben Law Firm PLLC and subsequently by Mark Fischer of The New York Post.

Needless to say, New York Mets fans are not happy, especially Tony Kornheiser of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.

For those unaware, “Tom Terrific” was the nickname of baseball Hall of Famer and beloved former Mets pitcher Tom Seaver. The right-hander spent eleven-and-a-half seasons in a Mets uniform and won a World Series ring with the team in 1969. Seaver also won three National League Cy Young Awards with the Mets and was named NL Rookie of the Year in 1967.

Brady’s timing is also poor because earlier this year, Seaver was diagnosed with dementia and retired from public life.

No matter how you spin it, this is a bad look on Tom Brady‘s part. Sure, he’s the greatest quarterback of all time, but Tom Seaver was a New York institution. Even after the Mets traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in 1977, he returned via another trade in 1983 at age 38.

Seaver also played for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox before retiring in 1986 with 311 career wins, 3,640 strikeouts, and a 2.86 ERA.

Thus, it doesn’t matter if Brady has won six Super Bowls and is still great at 41 years old. Under no circumstances does the name “Tom Terrific” belong to him.

Josh Benjamin has been a staff writer at ESNY since 2018. He has had opinions about everything, especially the Yankees and Knicks. He co-hosts the “Bleacher Creatures” podcast and is always looking for new pieces of sports history to uncover, usually with a Yankee Tavern chicken parm sub in hand.