Perhaps the biggest news in tech last week was Tesla CEO Elon Musk's attempt to buy the social media platform Twitter, after having declined an offer of a board seat a few weeks before.
And in the potential sale, NFL quarterback Tom Brady saw a golden opportunity.
In a tweet last week, Brady asked Musk to delete an infamously unflattering photo of him from 2000 that regularly circulates on the internet.
If you buy twitter can you delete the combine photo? @elonmusk— Tom Brady (@Tom Brady) 1649951740
Tagging Musk, Brady wrote:
"If you buy twitter can you delete the combine photo? [Elon Musk]"
The photo comes from the annual NFL Scouting Combine, the yearly event in which college football players complete a battery of physical tests and interviews in front of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers in hopes of being tapped for a spot as a rookie on one of the league's teams.
The invite-only event is a huge deal for football players—their performance at the combine can affect their draft status and salary if they are offered a spot and can set the tone for their career.
Judging from Brady's 2000 Scouting Combine photo, though, he's an exception to that rule.
Looking somewhere between stultified and irritated in baggy pair of shorts that look not unlike a really unflattering pair of boxers, the slightly pudgy, scrawny young man in the photo certainly doesn't give off the image of someone frequently named among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Which is, of course, why it's become a perennial joke to trot the photo out during each year's Combine to troll Brady. And of course, this being Twitter, Brady's request Musk wipe it from the internet was no exception.
One fan immediately posted it in response.
Epicpic.twitter.com/ZfTNlomOdF— \ud83c\udf6f \u0126O\u1e48E\u024e B\u0394DGER \ud83e\udda1 (@\ud83c\udf6f \u0126O\u1e48E\u024e B\u0394DGER \ud83e\udda1) 1649951776
To fans' delight, Brady took the ribbing in stride.
He joined in on the joke by asking Musk to also ban the Twitter user who posted the photo.
.@elonmusk ^ban him— Tom Brady (@Tom Brady) 1649951925
Football fans were loving Brady's self-deprecating humor.
neverrrrrrrrrrrpic.twitter.com/NbS1VJTpht— Kenny Lay (Parody) (@Kenny Lay (Parody)) 1649952180
Don't worry @TomBrady I gotchu https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1514633494902808585\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/97GhMo0DnT— nfl paint (@nfl paint) 1649955834
Even Mr Brady THE GOAT had a bad moment, so don\u2019t let, one bad moment define you, at your lowest point in life, always know that you will rebound and have better days.\n\nAll you need in life Believe in yourself and hard work, don\u2019t let anyone tell you that you are not enough!https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1514633494902808585\u00a0\u2026— Frank (@Frank) 1649954382
Tom Brady is even better at Twitter then me https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1514633494902808585\u00a0\u2026— \ud83c\udfc6 Al in the Cheap Seats \u26be\ufe0f\ud83c\udfc0 (@\ud83c\udfc6 Al in the Cheap Seats \u26be\ufe0f\ud83c\udfc0) 1649967720
The greatest transformation photo of all timepic.twitter.com/ZxgduKv3Uh— John A. Gewargis (@John A. Gewargis) 1649953286
But it's the greatest character arc EVERpic.twitter.com/Xk6avKbJMW— Jordan Jennings (@Jordan Jennings) 1649953106
It's a priceless photo. You are the greatest Tom embrace it.https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1514633494902808585\u00a0\u2026— BOSTON\u2122 (@BOSTON\u2122) 1649956865
Stop, Mr. Brady.https://twitter.com/TomBrady/status/1514633494902808585\u00a0\u2026— Jeanette (@Jeanette) 1649957571
What combine photopic.twitter.com/TDDe9wlARt— The Identity Tampa Bay (@The Identity Tampa Bay) 1649955347
In the end, Twitter's CEO and board members maneuvered to kibosh Musk's bid to buy the platform.
So it looks like Brady will have to endure the photo for a little while longer.
Ash Stanton/Facebook
Laura Sprinkle/Facebook
Akira Karasu/Facebook
Cevanna Gilbert/Facebook
Troy Adam/Facebook
@GovPressOffice/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social