While the post has since been deleted, SportsCenter tweeted an image of Tom Brady and Julian Edelman taking in a Patriots game. On the surface, that seems perfectly normal, right? Brady is being honored at Sunday’s Eagles-Patriots game and Edelman is one of his closest former teammates. Naturally, it would make a lot of sense.
There are several problems with the since-deleted post, which we were able to screenshot, as seen below:
This was very clearly not at Gillette Stadium in New England. In fact, the picture is from a Syracuse-North Carolina basketball game at the Carrier Dome on Feb. 29, 2020. This was pre-COVID, which we were able to confirm by Imagn search, and the SportsCenter account even tweeted about Edelman and Brady taking in the game at the time.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1233901150207959042?s=20
Second, as The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand pointed out, Edelman was on the set of Fox NFL Kickoff, which airs at 11 a.m. ET each NFL Sunday on Fox. Edelman joined host Charissa Thompson, Michael Vick, Charles Woodson, and insider Peter Schrager on the pregame show live from Los Angeles. So logistically speaking, Edelman was not making it back to New England in time for the game.
Lastly, Brady was not in the stands. The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback was in a box with his parents, along with Robert and Jonathan Kraft, and even Donnie Wahlberg.
In case you were having any trouble, Tony Romo has pointed out Tom Brady in the crowd, while going out on a limb and saying that the former Patriot "still might be the best quarterback in the building." pic.twitter.com/YyJYxYzzUp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 10, 2023
There is no Julian Edelman or Syracuse Orange to be found.
SportsCenter may have deleted the tweet, but this is a bad gaffe, anyway, you slice it.