Both the NFL and Tom Brady seem determined to stretch out Deflategate provided possible, Doing nobody associated with this mess any favors. But while Brady himself might believe he’s doing what’s best for his long term popularity and legacy, He might be hurting his long term sponsorship potentials.

To sense of humor: Brady doesn’t have endorsement dollars. He’s earned nearly $150 million to date just from his documents, And the money he pulls in from endorsement deals is a comparatively paltry $7 million a year. His noticably sponsors are Under Armour, Movado so UGG, None of possess addressed the NFL’s decision to uphold Brady’s four game suspension. The typical consensus among marketing experts is that Deflategate might not affect Brady’s current deals, But the fallout from it could deter other programs from signing him in the future. Survive month, Under Armour ceo Kevin Plank stressed his support for Brady, Labeling him”As honest as your day is long” As well as”One of the most popular people on earth,

It will be attention-grabbing to see if Plank and Under Armour maintain their love for Brady now that he’s suing the league(Along withe players’ institute). Presently, The actual merits of the case are incomprehensible: Did Tom Brady taken advantage of? Or perhaps. Is due route in the NFL a farce? Probably. Moderately, The legal fight moving forward is about both sides preserving their image. Brady is keeping up his innocence to ensure his legacy and marketability post retirement, Which unfortunately could come sooner than you think. But he might have hurt his prospects by choosing not to just come out early on and apologize for whatever happened to those footballs, Or accepting the NFL’s offer to cut his revocation by two games if he publicly admitted guilt.

Recently, He’s suing the little group, And Under Armour could have a choice on their hands within a short time. The gear and apparel maker has had a spectacular year, Riding its shift toward athletic shoes and athletic gear to $783.6 million in revenues. On send out earnings call last week, Plank added this bump largely to three marquee athlete endorsers: Stephen Curry, Michael the air nike jordans Spieth and Misty Copeland. It’s appealing that he’d leave out Brady just a few weeks after professing his love for him, But it’s more interesting to look at where he plans on taking the corporation next. Under Armour is expected to make a push to break into the major american sports leagues, And the NFL will be the white whale of exclusive apparel deals.

The best opportunity would be with the NHL, Whose cover Reebok runs through 2016 17. Adidas, Which Under Armour overtook this year to become the second biggest domestic athletic apparel brand, Is rumored to have an interest as well. The NBA and Nike just signed an eight year deal from the 2017 18 season, Putting basketball off the marketplace for the next decade. The actual, MLB and Majestic Athletic extended their alliance through 2019 back in March.

The NFL can also get an opening in 2019, Having just added another many years to its unusually short five year deal with Nike. Under Armour already lost out on the bidding regarding NBA contract, So we have seen much talk among sport business experts of it making a major play on the football field. Nike does seem somewhat occupied with Under Armour crowding into its space; To be able to Sports Business Journal, The NFL extension blocks Under Armour from the enterprise. Right at this moment, Under Armour is fighting at the margins: It outfits members of the squad for the NFL combine and has a $90 million contract with Notre Dame, The largest ever in college football games.

In the case when Under Armour does make its much speculated attempt at the NFL, Persevering with to have on its payroll a player who has sued the league could throw a wrench into that plan. It’s not necessary to, If the NFL is still equipped with legal success, The court room fight might be a short one, Giving us all the more time to lose interest in Brady’s indiscretions.

This column does certainly not reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.