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PHOTO: GEORGE PIMENTEL/GETTY
Tom Brady and ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, among the biggest shareholders of now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, lost nearly $50 million due to their involvement in the company, according to a report.
As part of an endorsement deal with the failed business, Brady, 45, and Bündchen, 42, took an equity stake in FTX Trading Limited and both received payment in crypto. The retired NFL star received $30 million in FTX stock, while his then-wife was paid $18 million, according to a report in The New York Times.
Now, the former couple is among other celebrities who are being sued by FTX customers. The outlet reports that Brady and Bündchen will also have to pay taxes on their now-worthless stock.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback served as a brand ambassador for FTX, while Bündchen was brought on as an “environmental and social initiatives advisor” in 2021.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time in the crypto-world, and Sam [Bankman-Fried, FTX CEO] and the revolutionary FTX team continue to open my eyes to the endless possibilities,” Brady said in a news release at the time.
FTX (along with its 130-plus affiliates) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November, which was followed by Bankman-Fried’s decision to step down as the head of the company.
The firm was forced to file for bankruptcy “after a run on deposits left FTX with an $8 billion shortfall,” The Times reported at the time. “The damage has rippled across the industry, destabilizing other crypto companies and sowing widespread distrust of the technology.”
Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas (the country where FTX is based) on Dec. 12 after U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges against him.
At one point, FTX was valued at around $32 billion, CNN reported.