Brady fires back at Portnoy over $75 million flag football claim for Saudi event
TheFanatics Flag Football Classic in Riyadh in March 2026 will feature Tom Brady and several current NFL stars, with three prominent coaches guiding three teams.
Tom Brady has responded to Dave Portnoy after Portnoy claimed Brady would earn $75 million to play in a flag football game in Saudi Arabia, escalating a public back-and-forth that has drawn attention to the March 2026 Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Riyadh.
Brady is set to participate in the one-off event, which will take place on March 21, 2026, and will be sponsored by Fanatics. The event marks Brady’s first foray into competitive football since he retired as an NFL star in February 2023. It will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Tubi and features a format described as Olympic-style flag football, with teams playing on a 50-yard field, two 10-yard end zones, a 5-on-5 format and two 20-minute halves.
In a social-media post, Portnoy asserted that Brady would be paid $75 million to take part in the Saudi game. Portnoy had discussed the figure on his show and later on Fox platforms in connection with Brady’s return to action for the charity event. Brady responded on X, questioning the accuracy of such reported numbers and the broader “breaking news” framing. “Are we just picking numbers out of a hat and reporting them?” he wrote, adding a satirical aside about Elvis performing halftime and Babe Ruth signing autographs, before quipping, “Who cares about facts right?” Portnoy has since replied to Brady, defending his reporting and noting the difficulty of confirming exact figures while acknowledging the interest around the event.
Beyond the salary chatter, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic will bring together a notable lineup. Brady will join current NFL players including Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett. Brady’s former New England Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski will also compete. Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton and San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will oversee the three teams involved in the competition, which Brady described as part of a broader push to grow flag football globally. The format is designed to showcase a style of play that organizers say is fast-paced and accessible to fans around the world.
The event is linked to Fanatics and its founder Michael Rubin, who have sought to leverage high-profile figures to broaden the sport’s international footprint. The organizers have framed the Riyadh showcase as part of a longer-term strategy to put flag football on a more visible stage, with flag football also identified as a path to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Brady has spoken in the past about his interest in growing the game worldwide, noting his experiences playing in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, and expressing enthusiasm about the sport’s appeal across ages and regions.
Officials stress that the Fanatics Flag Football Classic is intended as a global demonstration of the sport’s popularity rather than a conventional professional football event. The competition will adhere to adjusted rules intended to fit a high-energy, broadcast-friendly format while remaining faithful to flag football’s emphasis on speed, skill and safety. Brady’s participation, along with a slate of current stars and high-profile coaches, underscores the emphasis on cross-generational appeal and international reach.
The matchups and exact broadcast schedule have yet to be disclosed in full, but organizers have indicated that the event will air in a primetime window on Fox Sports and will be available on Tubi as part of Fanatics’ push to package sports entertainment across platforms. The Riyadh event is not Brady’s first appearance on a global stage after retirement; it represents a broader trend of former stars participating in exhibition formats that fuse entertainment with competition and fan engagement.
As flag football continues to gain traction, supporters emphasize its potential to broaden the game’s footprint worldwide. Brady has previously highlighted how flag football can connect fans of all ages and backgrounds and has noted the sport’s growth trajectory, including the push toward Olympic inclusion. The Fanatics-backed exhibition in Saudi Arabia is being watched as a potential template for future international events that blend celebrity athletes, emerging formats and global audiences.
The broader significance of the event, according to organizers, lies in demonstrating a global appetite for flag football and in maintaining momentum for a sport that has gained momentum in schools and leagues around the world. With Brady and a cadre of well-known players and coaches on board, the Riyadh showcase aims to raise the profile of flag football as a spectator-friendly, fast-paced alternative to traditional gridiron play while continuing to press the case for Olympic recognition in future games.