After actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney became Wrexham owners, consecutive promotions and storybook endings followed — and they now need just two more to reach the English Premier League.
Tom Brady didn’t experience the same success in his first year as a minority owner with Birmingham City FC.
Despite a 1-0 win against Norwich on Saturday, Birmingham City was relegated to the third division for the first time since 1995, according to Yahoo Sports, after a tumultuous campaign that featured three different head coaches.
Brady, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer and retired quarterback, described it as a “tough” season in a post on X.
“Thank you for your support in a tough first year Bluenoses,” Brady wrote in his post, adding a blue heart emoji at the end. “We have a long way to go but it’s because of all of you that we’ll achieve great things in the future.”
Brady was announced as a minority owner in August 2023 — on his 46th birthday — and as the chairman of the advisory board, with part of his role including “working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs,” according to a Birmingham City release.
“You may be asking, “What do you know about football, Tom? Well, let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn,” Brady said in a video at the time. “But I do know a few things about winning. I think they might translate pretty well. I know success starts with the work put in when the world isn’t watching.”
The season began with four wins across the first six matches, but as the season progressed, Birmingham City cycled through coaches — from John Eustace to Wayne Rooney to Tony Mowbray — and won just nine more times across its final 40 games.
In order to avoid relegation Saturday, Birmingham City needed to defeat Norwich and also had to have either Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers lose, according to ESPN.
Paik Seung-Ho’s goal in the 55th minute helped Birmingham City have at least a chance, but after all three teams won their respective matches, that ensured Brady’s team would be relegated from the English League Championship.
Brady, who retired following the 2023 season after winning seven Super Bowls during his years with the Patriots and Buccaneers, has also been a minority owner for the Las Vegas Aces and agreed with owner Mark Davis to purchase a 10 percent stake of the Raiders — though that hasn’t been finalized and is still “making progress,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in March.
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