Tom Brady thought he was just getting dragged into a friendly rivalry between Hollywood’s favorite soccer dads. Instead, he’s apparently the unwitting victim of a years-long psychological warfare campaign. According to one of the masterminds behind this alleged conspiracy, the plan to infiltrate his psyche started in 2018. The year the “Philly Special” ruined his Super Bowl dreams. And no, this isn’t satire. At least not entirely.
For the past year, Brady’s Birmingham City and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham have been elbowing each other in League One. BCFC eventually took the trophy home with the record-breaking century points and a promotion to the second tier. So did Ryan and Rob’s Welsh soccer club, but the drama continued well over the playing field.
It started with Brady gifting a signed #12 Birmingham jersey to Rob. But, per Tom Wagner, “Shame on [Rob]” for giving that gift to Classic Football Shirts. However, Tom bought it and donated the money he used to purchase the shirt to the Wrexham AFC Foundation. Then, Ryan Reynolds entered the picture in a direct message to Wagner and Brady, requesting the shirt. “But I really want that jersey. I’m a huge Tom Brady fan, and I have been for a long time.”
However, now, it seems like it was all a hoax. Or a long, elaborated plan from Rob. In his latest monologue-turned-confession, McElhenney delivered a nine-step manifesto explaining how he, Foles, Reynolds, and the entire city of Philadelphia allegedly executed the perfect long con. He captioned the Insta clip: “Checkmate, Brady. 7 rings, 0 clue. See you in the championship.”
Then, as the video began, Rob made the wild admission: “Step one: the Philly Special. The night you lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. You see, Nick Foles and I came up with a diabolical little play called the Philly Special to beat you. You went on to win like six more—but whatever. “
Tom Brady, not one to let anyone get the last word—especially not a sitcom star—clapped back with a masterpiece of petty professionalism. He posted a photo of his seven Super Bowl rings with a formal-looking note tagged to Roger Goodell and the NFL: “@vancityreynolds and @robmcelhenney (thus implicating the entire city of Philadelphia) just admitted to using 5D mind control to influence the outcome of the 2018 Super Bowl. I trust you’ll do the right thing.” He capped it off with the crying-laughing emoji—because of course he did. That’s how you file an official complaint in 2025.
But that was not the only step. There were 8 more that Rob listed:
“Step two: was for me to buy a Welsh football club with movie star Ryan Reynolds.”
“Step three: get said football club into the same league as your future football club.
“Step four: gain your trust and accept your gift.”
“Step five: publicly reject it and give it away to Classic Football Shirts. I couldn’t find a trash can big enough to throw it into.”
Step six: get your benevolent business partner”
“Step seven: you donate $10,000 to the Wrexham AFC Foundation.”
“Step eight: I knew Ryan would want Brady’s hair, and that would throw like a weird wrench into the whole thing. If you could just, you know, get a strand of his hair—name your price, I’ll pay it.”
“Step nine: I match your donation of $10,000 to the Birmingham City Football Foundation”
The punchline? “That check was filled out on February 3, 2018—the day before your glorious defeat in the Super Bowl. That’s not charity. That’s 4D psychological warfare. I own your mind, Brady. Checkmate.” Somewhere, a tinfoil hat just exploded.
To recap: a t-shirt gift led to a fake betrayal, which led to matching charitable donations, which led to a spiraling conspiracy that ends with Brady calling for NFL sanctions over witchcraft. If this were any more self-aware, it’d be a “Welcome to Wrexham” season finale. However, you know the most absurd part? This isn’t the first time Brady’s been caught in Philly’s crosshairs.
Tom Brady just can’t catch a break
Back in February, after the Eagles steamrolled the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Nick Foles tweeted, “It’s really cool that Tom Brady got to be there for the Eagles’ two Super Bowl wins!” And honestly, he’s not wrong. Brady was in the booth this time, but the record stands: Philly is 2-0 in Super Bowls when Tom’s in the building. Can’t argue with that kind of science.
Let’s also not forget Foles’ eternal flex: Brady dropped a pass in Super Bowl LII, while Foles caught one for a touchdown. The Philly Special didn’t just win a ring—it launched a decade-long trolling campaign. And judging by Brady’s latest meltdown-disguised-as-joke, the plan worked perfectly.
I mean, you can say the defeat still haunts him like it should. That 41-33 L was a roadblock for TB12 to complete the 3-peat, what would have just been the cherry on top of his elite Lombardi shelf. Alas, it wasn’t to be.
Now McElhenney’s laying it on thicker than a cheesesteak. “Tom Wagner, you’re collateral damage in this whole thing,” he says to Birmingham’s owner, while plotting Brady’s psychological downfall with the precision of a Bond villain. Something Ryan Reynolds must be proud of… Or must we say, Deadpool? Yeah, that fits the whole act.
In the end, no one’s sure if this is rivalry, performance art, or the most expensive improv routine in sports history. But what’s certain: Brady wants Goodell involved. Which might be the biggest joke of all. If mind control is in play, maybe the Eagles should try it again next season. Or better yet—just keep inviting Tom to the stadium. So far, it’s working.
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