Tom Brady says he gave Buccaneers fan a Bitcoin to repay him for giving up ball from 600th career TD pass

Byron Kennedy is now something of a local legend in Tampa after this weekend, getting and then giving back the ball from Tom Brady’s 600th career touchdown pass. The Buccaneers have reportedly agreed to give Kennedy, 29, a package including season tickets and autographed memorabilia in exchange for the ball he originally got from a celebratory Mike Evans. But Brady insisted on “Monday Night Football” with Peyton and Eli Manning that he’s chipping in by gifting Kennedy a Bitcoin.

“Byron lost all his leverage when he gave up the ball,” Brady joked with the Manning brothers. “He should’ve held it. … (But) I’m also giving him a Bitcoin, so at the end of the day, I think he’s making out pretty well.”

Valued at just under $63,000, the digital currency would mark one of the biggest prizes Kennedy has received in exchange for granting the Bucs’ abrupt game-day request. The team has already committed to giving him two signed jerseys and a signed helmet from Brady, a signed Mike Evans jersey as well as the wide receiver’s game cleats, plus a $1,000 credit to the Buccaneers store and season tickets for the remainder of 2021 and all of 2022.

Speaking of finances, Brady also joked on the Manning brothers’ broadcast that Clyde Christensen, his quarterbacks coach, should not be a model for his TB12 fitness program, as Peyton suggested.

“Are you trying to short the TB12 stock here?” Brady said, holding back laughter. “This isn’t right. I need Clyde to eat non-packaged foods. Too much of what he eats actually comes in a wrapper and you gotta tear it apart. I say, ‘Clyde, just because it’s popcorn doesn’t mean it doesn’t have calories. You can’t eat eight popcorns in one sitting. You can’t do that.’ “