Category Archives: AAF

AAF, NFL, ufl, XFL

Wing, Brad (2) ’45 Seconds’

CARD: Upper Deck UFL 2024, Upper Deck Game Day Moments 2024, Upper Deck UFL 2024 Parallel, Upper Deck UFL 2024 Printer’s Plate (Yellow)
ACQUIRED: 2025, Epack
IP 2025, San Antonio Brahmas v Memphis Showboats
Trade 2025

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

I pulled this really nice dual autographed card of Brad from an Epack, when I was opening 7 or so of them online. It was a nice find considering I’m a Brahmas fan. Sometimes simple works, and in the case of this set, I’m okay with it. I probably would’ve just had the logo without the name, but I’m okay with this one. Of all the punters in the league, Upper Deck was wise to put the two most popular on a card together.

Brad before the Memphis game came up and signed a few cards for me and Jake. He knocked off the Upper Deck GDM card of him throwing a TD to Alex Mollette, as well as his blue parallel from the base set. Brad signed quite a few cards, and I was able to give one to my friend Joe. Later after the game Jake made me a good offer and traded me the yellow plate.

Since he signed all my cards, I’ve made a few jokes with Brad as he comes through the tunnel. I like to call him ’45-Second Brad’ after he said he believed he could ride a bucking bronco for 45 seconds.

AAF, NFL

Richardson, Trent

CARDS: Topps AAF 2019 Certified, Panini Playbook 2011 Doak
ACQUIRED: EBay 2019
FAILURE: TTM 2019, C/o The Birmingham Iron
Paid Signing, 2024

NOTES:

Going off topic on this one today.

Trent was considered the crown jewel of the Alliance of American Football. League executives had already tossed around the idea that once the league took off and found its foothold that there’d be a place at the table for Trent once he retired to become a brand ambassador of sorts.

Initially his certified autograph was hard to come by, but eventually I was able to get a reasonably priced version of the autograph. His Panini Playbook card was another matter.

At the beginning of COVID, way, way back in 2020 initially there was panic about a nationwide shutdown. Nobody was on EBay, and I was able to snag quite a few really nice autographs of players that were just hanging out there, including this fun little Panini Playbook of Trent.

How patient am I? Way, way back in March of 2024, I committed to a paid signing quickly after I had missed out on the only other previous one I’d seen for Trent. I piled in all my set needs and rareties knowing this was the best way to get him, because he’s a zero signer TTM. Then I waited. The deadline for the signing got moved- then passed. I started to worry.

I contacted the promoter, (who I choose not to identify) and he patiently kept me up to date as to what was going on. Delay after delay. It got to a point where Richardson was saying, “I’ll get it out to you this weekend dawg.” Eventually days turned into weeks, into months… and finally, in December of 2024, the promoter, sensing his good name was being besmirched by Trent’s lack of follow through, hit Richardson with a legal letter.

This jostled Richardson into admitting there were some things going on around his house that was making it difficult for him to get back to get these things signed and into the mail, as he had promised. I quickly quipped to the promoter that I’d be surprised if Trent got the autographs back to him before March 2025.

Then in April of ’25, the promoter offered a full refund on Richardson. He still held out hope that Trent would return the items. In the meantime, all my precious rare Topps AAF Now cards are nowhere to be seen.

See Also: The Autograph Encyclopedia’s Hall of Disappointment

AAF, CFL, University of Texas

Thomas, Duke

CARD: Topps AAF 2019
ACQUIRED: 2019, Personal Break
FAILURE: TTM 2019, C/o The Minnesota Vikings. TTM 2024, C/o Work

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Duke Thomas played DB at Texas from 2012-’15.
  • He cut his teeth on special teams his rookie year finishing with 8 ST tackles.
  • In 2013, Thomas started 10 contests- posting 3 picks.
  • Thomas went on to have a solid year in ’14, finishing with 53 tackles, 10 pass breakups and 3 interceptions.
  • As teams threw away from him in his Senior campaign, Duke only had 1 interception, but also contributed 5 PBUs and 3 TFL, and 58 tackles.
  • Undrafted he signed with the Houston Texans in 2016- but did not make the squad.
  • This led to practice squad stints that year with both the Eagles, and ‘9ers.
  • Things looked promising as Duke was signed to a futures contract in 2018 by the Dallas Cowboys, but an injury ended his season early and he’d be released with an injury settlement.
  • After a short stop with the Toronto Argos, Duke signed in December of 2018 with the San Antonio Commanders of the AAF.
  • He posted 22 tackles, 4 PBUs and a pick in 8 contests before the league shut down in April of 2019.
  • Duke was snapped up by the Vikings, but was a camp cut.
  • Then he joined the Cards in late 2019- again being designated with a futures contract.
  • Cut during camp in 2020, he then spent a month in January of ’21 with the Bills before hanging up his cleats.

NOTES:

Duke has a Topps AAF 2019 base set card I really want to get signed. I was pretty irritated that someone else I knew got him TTM through the Vikes after I told him that I had sent out to him there- but I did not.

I tried again through another address, but had no luck.

Oh well…

Hook ‘Em…