Hey, there! Log in / Register

New Hampshire man sues Patriots Hall of Fame; says they ruined a Brady-signed flag from 2001 he'd lent them for display

A Hampstead, NH man who bought an American flag autographed by the Goat Himself after the final Patriots game at the old Foxboro Stadium in 2001, is suing the company that runs the Patriots Hall of Fame at the Patriots Place, claiming that after he agreed to lend them the flag for display, they let it get exposed to light and air, ruining it and making it worthless as the investment he'd bought it for.

In his complaint against Patriots Hall of Fame operator NPS, LLC, filed in US District Court in Boston, Daniel Vitale avers that Brady's signature on a flag that also features a patch attesting to it being in the stadium during the third quarter of the final Patriots game, against the Dolphins, on December 28, 2001, was "pristine and in near perfect condition," when he bought it as an investment in 2020.

The Flag was a priceless piece of sports memorabilia and historical artifact of the storied New England Patriots dynasty signed by Tom Brady, the winningest quarterback in the history of the National Football League.

Now, he claims:

The loss in value to the Flag due to NPS’s misrepresentations, gross negligence and breach of the Agreement is significant, ranging from several hundred
thousand dollars to well over one million dollars.

After buying the flag for an unspecified price, Vitale said he inquired of the NFL Hall of Fame if they'd be interested in displaying the flag because of its role in history. That hall of fame said they had no room, at least not until both Brady and Bill Belichick retire, but suggested he contact the Patriots Hall of Fame. So he did and, after several assurances that the hall of fame was an actual "museum" that knows how to care for treasured, valuable heirlooms, under the care of a "curator," even, he agreed to let them display the flag.

And so, on June 24, 2021, he and a friend carefully transported the flag over to Gillette Stadium to be placed in a display case for fans to admire - after Vitale decided to forego insurance because he was so convinced the "museum" and its "curator" would care for the flag and its precious signature the way it should be cared for.

In fact, Vitale now charges, the place doesn't know the first thing about protecting items such as flags signed in Sharpie by No. 12.

As Mr. Vitale would later learn, neither the lighting at NPS nor the glass NPS used for the case displaying the Flag were designed to protect autographed sports memorabilia.

Mr. Vitale further learned that there was a significant gap in the glass directly in front of the Flag through which unfiltered light and heat could pass.

On Nov. 6, Vitale alleges, he and his fiancee, on a swing through Massachusetts, stopped by the hall of fame and discovered the flag was no longer on display. In fact, it was in "the archives," a hall employee told him. It was still in good shape, it had just been "cycled out" of public display, he claims the guy told him. While they were talking, thought, he says, he noticed a "heavily faded" George Bush autograph on something on display:

Ken responded, "I know, I’ve been telling them for years that they need to switch out the lighting and glass. It is not the right stuff for this type of display."

On Jan. 31 of this year, thinking of putting the Brady-inscribed flag up for sale, given what seemed like was his impending retirement for real this time, Vitale says he contacted the hall's supposed curator about retrieving the flag. That guy responded that, oops, there had been some "slight fading” to the autograph.

Vitale dropped everything and drove to Foxboro, where the curator apologized for the fading, then introduced him to another hall exec, the guy in charge of retail sales, who dropped this on him:

Mr. Scollins told Mr. Vitale that, contrary to Mr. Evans’ representations, and the public representations NPS makes regarding is status as a museum with curator, NPS was not, in fact, a museum.

Vitale says he never would have lent the flag to the Patriots Hall of Fame had he known. His suit lists fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and violation of the Massachusetts law against unfair and deceptive acts and trade practices. He is seeking a jury trial to determine damages.

AttachmentSize
PDF icon Complete complaint227.09 KB


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

Nothing more Un-American than defacing Old Glory. Surprised the Patriots even displayed it.

up
Voting closed 0

Any relationship to the other Vitale who is an absolute waste of oxygen?

up
Voting closed 0

I'm sorry, wait a second. Ok. Ha ha ha ha ha.

"Bought as an investment". "Hall of Fame" - Yup Kraft has staff from the Savanah College of Art and Design curating items behind the boxes of leftover Crayon Logo Revolution and tie dye Cam Newton sweatshirts.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

The Trumpie worshiping crowd who have never heard of Sam Cunningham or Randy Vataha and who wouldn't have been caught dead at a Pat's game between 1987 to 1993 but are now "lifelong" Pats fans kill me.

Dopes like these are why I don't go to Foxborough.

up
Voting closed 0

Grogan, Morgan, Hannah, Francis et al. Those were the days.

up
Voting closed 0

Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time.

up
Voting closed 0

I guess it depends on what the agreement said exactly. It sounds like he said "heres the flag, keep it safe" and they said "sure thing." If it was in fact worth 1 million dollars or more why was the agreement not more robust? The excuse for no insurance sounds suspect as well.

up
Voting closed 0

“The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.”

I once saw BB King scold a fan who tried to hand him a flag to autograph (it was weeks after 9/11). BB said, "No sir, I don't sign Old Glory!"

up
Voting closed 0

Funny how very little some care for the things that they claim to be most holy.
IMAGE(https://i.insider.com/5f58eff9e6ff30001d4e7bb4?width=2000&format=jpeg&auto=webp)

up
Voting closed 0

Signed by the author.

up
Voting closed 0

Shouldn't the signature just be "G"? Or maybe "OG", since, of course, He's the Original?

up
Voting closed 0

That's Cheeto Mussolini's signature.

up
Voting closed 0

"The flag code is more what you call guidelines than actual rules."

First Amendment says you can do whatever you like to a flag. Feel free to follow the Flag Code if you like, but there's no real reason anyone else has to.

up
Voting closed 0

Yes!
Thank you!

up
Voting closed 0

Dude didn't say toss him in jail. He cited the flag code and mentioned a story about another famous person who refused to sign the flag.

First Amendment means you can do whatever you'd like to the flag but that doesn't mean me or the original poster and others have to like or condone it. We also have every right to judge the plantiff, Tom Brady and the Patriots museum.

up
Voting closed 0

that doesn't mean me or the original poster and others have to like or condone it

I always wonder about people who volunteer the information that they don't "condone" things that aren't really their business. This is the same sort of "I don't condone" that is offered, completely unsolicited, by homophobes of LGBTQ people's "lifestyle". I'm sure you see the two situations as completely different, but...are they really? People do something, you find it repugnant, sounds the same to me.

up
Voting closed 0

...and become personally offended anytime a black athlete "disgustingly disrespects our flag," and thus disrespecting by extension anyone who has ever served in the armed forces (*eyeroll*) are also the first people in line to have their favorite athlete desecrate a flag with his signature and the subsequent authenticity patch.

It's more evidence, as if we needed more after J6, that the targeted campaign against one of the few people that have ever been successfully canceled, Colin Kaepernick, was never about reverence for the flag.

I don't give a crap that Tom Brady signed Old Glory, but all those fragile patriot warriors who thought taking a knee was akin to defecating on John Hancock's corpse should take the flag code seriously and call out athletes and politicians who sign flags. But we all know that white wingers aren't exactly famous for their integrity and consistency.

up
Voting closed 0

For Lizzo to play James Madison's flute once again and cause more uproar for fragile Republicans

up
Voting closed 0

Comment

up
Voting closed 0

The final football game at Foxboro Stadium took place on January 19, 2002.

up
Voting closed 0

Mr. Scollins told Mr. Vitale that, contrary to Mr. Evans’ representations, and the public representations NPS makes regarding is status as a museum with curator, NPS was not, in fact, a museum.

Translation:

"You fucked up; you trusted us."

up
Voting closed 0