Ad or Not? Tom Brady and Under Armour

Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady recently shared on Instagram what appeared to be a touching message about his mother, who has remained his biggest fan throughout her battle with cancer.

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A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)

But a closer look reveals that the Patriots quarterback may have stepped out of bounds in an attempt to tie his respect for his mother’s love and dedication with a pitch to sell sporting equipment. You see, Brady has a partnership with Under Armour, making this Instagram post as much a heartfelt tribute as an undisclosed advertisement for the sporting goods giant.

This isn’t the first time Brady has given a shoutout to mom on the social media platform. But unlike previous posts, including this birthday well-wishing and this on-field embrace, in this particular instance, Brady has chosen to also include a link to one of his sponsor’s Instagram handles (@underarmourwomen).

We reached out to Under Armour asking why this and previous posts by the champion QB (see here and here) lack proper disclosure (i.e., #ad). Check back for updates.

Read more of TINA.org’s coverage of When an individual (or cute pet) promotes a good or service, primarily on social media, because they were paid to do so, or because of a material connection between the person (or pet) and the company here.