By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A fan plans to shell out over $750,000 on Tuesday for the chance to have dinner with six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and claim a pack of Tampa Bay opening game tickets and memorabilia as an auction touting the newly-signed Buccaneer nears its end.
The auction, ending at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT), reached a bid of $775,000 on Tuesday, as part of a series of celebrity and athlete offerings in the ‘All In Challenge’ fundraiser to help feed those in need during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Other auction items include a round of golf and dinner with twice NFL Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning, which attracted a $525,000 bid, and a day of activities with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson that had a high bid of nearly $100,000.
The identities of the leading bidders were not immediately available.
Fanatics Executive Chairman Michael Rubin, who initiated the auctions and sweepstakes prizes through the popular sportswear retailer, said he drew on the popular Ice Bucket Challenge to benefit ALS research when he initiated the auctions.
Rubin, a co-owner of NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers, said he approached Brady and Manning before launching the auctions and sweepstakes and they were immediately on board.
“The country misses their sports and the country misses their athletes,” said Rubin, reflecting on the popularity of the sports prizes offered through the auction, which raised $21.5 million in 13 days.
“We have a responsibility to make a real difference.”
Other top items include Rapper Meek Mill’s Rolls Royce Phantom, which had a top bid of $320,000 on Tuesday, and a sweepstakes prize from Novak Djokovic that includes playing with the 17-time Grand Slam tennis great and signed merchandise.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ken Ferris)
