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Brady quits Blues. Nothing to see here?

Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, has left his role at Birmingham City.

Brady’s involvement at Birmingham followed a trend of high-profile north American celebrities investing in English Football League (EFL) clubs, most notably Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac at fellow Championship side Wrexham.Brady, 49, had been a minority investor in the club since the summer of 2023, but Birmingham confirmed his exit in a statement on Monday.

The former New England Patriots quarterback’s departure comes with Birmingham top of the Championship, English football’s second tier, as the club aims to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

On the one hand, news that a minority shareholder who effectively paid nothing for his stake, had no previous attachment to the club or city, has not been to a game for a long time and is really busy with another sport, thousands of miles away, would not be a news at all.

But this is Tom Brady, the NFL legend who provided the stardust to the American takeover of Birmingham City and was clearly central to Amazon’s decision to green-light the 2025 documentary “Built in Birmingham: Brady & The Blues”.

His exit will make no difference to the club’s promotion push but losing the Brady link will hit the club’s commercial appeal. Not by much, perhaps, particularly if Birmingham do reach the Premier League next season, but a club with “the GOAT” involved is clearly worth more to sponsors than one without.

Has there been a disagreement among the ownership group about future strategy? Is Brady looking at other football clubs? Is he too busy to even look at Birmingham City results?

Until we get more clarity for either him or the club, Brady’s exit from Birmingham City is almost as mystifying as his arrival.

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