“Tom Brady” was in Arizona for the Patriots’ season-opening win over the Cardinals, but instead of throwing touchdowns, he was creeping everyone out.
Without revealing his identity, though not exactly hiding it, Bleacher Report’s Dan Worthington donned a mask eerily similar to New England’s favorite quarterback and tailgated with fans outside the stadium on Sunday night. He continued to mug for cameras as he took his seat for the game, a 23-21 upset with backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center. But there was still confusion around the man behind the mask until he brought his gimmick to the mass media Wednesday morning.
“Fake Brady” wasn’t done after the Patriots’ 1-0 start. After all, for another three weeks of Brady’s NFL suspension, his team remains the “Vacaytriots,” as his T-shirt declares.
The Brady mask was in Worthington’s carry-on Monday for his trip from Phoenix to New York City, where he and Bleacher Report executive editor Jermaine Spradley were invited to appear on the “Today” show.
Since the heavy-duty mask prevents its wearer from speaking, Spradley was interviewed on Worthington’s behalf and explained the thought process behind the crowd-pleaser.
“At first, people would think it was real … But they loved it. Even the Arizona Cardinals fans loved it,” Spradley said. “A lot of the details are hand-sewn, so like all the stubble you see on his face, that’s actually hand-sewn in. The hair is real hair.”
Although we can’t be sure where “Fake Brady” will show up next, we can find solace in Spradley’s confirmation that the masks are not available for the everyday fan — because they are “really, really expensive.”
So it’s just the one jarringly lifelike impostor until the real Brady returns to face the Browns on Oct. 9.