New England Patriots quarterba… ahem, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly finalizing a $7.5 million deal for a waterfront mansion in Clearwater.
TMZ reported on Thursday that Brady was expected to close on the deal later in the week, although the listing agency has denied Brady is involved with the sale, according to the Tampa Bay Times. TMZ did not list a source in its article.
Listing agent Sophia Vasilaros said, “Tom Brady is not buying this house,” and that “TMZ jumped the gun.”
A spokesperson for her brokerage, Smith & Associates Real Estate, also said Brady is “not associated with the sale of this house.”
The house has five bedrooms and totals around 8,500 square feet. It sits on a peninsula on Diamond Isle, an artificial island in Clearwater Harbor.
Whether or not Brady is behind the purchase, he’s got reason to be in the market.
Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen have been renting a nearly 31,000-square-foot mansion owned by New York Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for the last several months, but Jeter listed the property last month for $29 million.
Brady told Howard Stern in March that living in the Jeter residence was a big change of pace from the private lifestyle he was used to after years living outside Boston. Jeter’s house is on a public road and its backyard opens to Hillsborough Bay.
“Where I lived in Chestnut Hill, I was pretty private for a long time,” Brady said. “So I forgot, in a way, like people could drive up to your house. You couldn’t drive up to my house where I lived in Chestnut Hill. Here, they could pull right up to the back of the house.” [Tampa Bay Times] — Dennis Lynch