Logan Paul seemed to have the upper hand in his playful exchange with Tom Brady, at least until football enthusiasts weighed in on social media.
In the lead-up to the first-ever Fanatics Flag Football Classic, Paul and Brady engaged in some light-hearted banter. When the event took place in Los Angeles on Saturday, Paul’s team, the Wildcats, claimed a 34-26 victory over Brady’s team, the Founders.
Following the game, Paul, known for his influencer status and WWE wrestling career, took to X to declare, “I beat Tom Brady.”
However, Paul’s celebration was premature.
Both teams, consisting mainly of NFL players, were unable to outplay Team USA in the round-robin format, leaving Paul’s triumph somewhat hollow. Although the event aimed to boost the profile of flag football as it gears up for its anticipated debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, many fans remained skeptical about taking this less intense variant of football seriously.
Consequently, Paul’s boast did little to impress the audience.
‘You played flag football,’ one critic remarked.
Logan Paul laughs at Housh Doucette before ripping the sunglasses off his face
Tom Brady and Logan Paul have a word following days of trash talking between the two
‘Bro said “I beat Tom Brady” like he just dropped a 7-touchdown masterclass in the Super Bowl,’ another responded. ‘Meanwhile it was flag football, no pads, Brady was probably sipping avocado toast on the sideline going “who’s this YouTuber again?”‘
Brady, who previously described Paul’s wrestling career as ‘cute,’ embarrassed his rival on the field by catching a pass over the influencer and jokingly flipping the ball into his chest after the play. Paul tried to get into Brady’s face afterwards but was held back by an official.
And that wasn’t Paul’s only awkward moment on the day.
Not only was he beaten by Team USA for the event’s opening touchdown, but he made things even worse by ripping a rival’s sunglasses off his face and throwing them to the turf.
‘How does he get invited to these things?’ one critic wrote on X in response to the incident.
Others called out Paul for being more of a wrestler than a true sportsman.
‘He’s not used to not having a script,’ another critic wrote.
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Should celebs like Logan Paul be welcomed at serious sports events or are they just spoiling the game?
Logan Paul decided to open a pack of Pokemon cards during Saturday’s event in LA
Logan Paul was exposed several times in coverage against Team USA on Saturday in LA
Somewhat confusingly, Paul was seen opening a pack of Pokemon cards during the event. The long-time collector of the valuable trading cards was spotted trying to impress his fellow influencer teammate, IShowSpeed, with the keepsake during the Fox Sports broadcast.
‘And that’s one of many reasons you don’t play in a professional sports league,’ another Paul critic wrote on X.
Team USA players each get $100,000 for winning the inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
The event, recently relocated from Saudi Arabia due to the war in Iran, had been promoted through a performative war of words between Paul and the game’s marquee name. Brady began earlier this month by referring to Paul’s WWE career as ‘cute’ and ‘scripted,’ to which the wrestler responded: ‘WWE can’t stop me from kicking your ass on that field.’
But the pre-game chatter between Brady and Paul may have distracted from the third squad in Saturday’s round-robin tournament, Team USA, which won the event without a single NFL player. The American national team began by demolishing Paul’s Wildcats, 39-14, and Brady’s Founders, 43-16, before beating the Wildcats again, 24-14, in the final.
