Fact Check: Did Tom Brady rescue people and pets during Texas flash flood and donate millions to victims?
CENTRAL POINT, TEXAS: Texas faced a deadly calamity as a violent storm unleashed 12 inches of rain over the Hill Country, forcing the Guadalupe River to burst its banks and transform the land into a raging floodplain.
At least 134 people have been confirmed dead in the Texas Hill Country flooding, with search and rescue crews still looking for more than 101 missing individuals.
As communities continue to grapple with the aftermath of the devastating floods, social media has exploded with trumped-up theories and outlandish rumors, adding to the confusion in an already chaotic situation.
Among the more outrageous claims is a rumor casting NFL legend Tom Brady as a flood hero, alleging he donated millions, rescued stranded families and pets, paid for funeral expenses, attended memorials, and even handed out supplies to victims.
The heart-touching rumors have spread across the internet like wildfire. But is it fact or just fanciful fiction? Let’s unpack the full story below.
Claim: Tom Brady rescued families and pets in Texas flood and donated millions to victims
Rumors of the former Patriots star’s heroic efforts began circulating on July 6, when a Facebook page named NFL Legend claimed that Tom Brady had donated $3 million to flood victims.
The post also alleged that Brady sent a personal letter to the families of the 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic who lost their lives when flash floods struck the area.
An ad-heavy article linked in the post went even further, claiming the 47-year-old former NFL quarterback distributed silver charm bracelets engraved with the victims’ names.
Several other Facebook pages echoed similar claims, with one stating Brady had donated $1.7 million "to help cover funeral expenses, provide trauma counseling for survivors, and support first responders working around the clock.”
Another social media post alleged he donated $20 million "to support flood victims in Texas, build 200 houses, and provide food."
Some pages even shared a series of photos supposedly showing Brady attending victims' funerals and weeping, including one image said to be from the funeral of 8-year-old Camp Mystic camper Kellyanne Lytal.
The speculation didn’t stop there: several posts claimed Brady had been seen diving into floodwaters to rescue victims. One post featured an image of him carrying an elderly woman through chest-high waters.
A Bluesky user shared a similar photo of Brady, wearing his New England Patriots uniform, holding a brown box labeled "disaster relief."
Another circulating image showed Brady and former teammate Rob "Gronk" Gronkowski in a boat, seemingly preparing to assist flood victims.
Adding fuel to the fire, yet another story claimed that the seven-time Super Bowl winner confronted US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for being absent in the wake of the disaster.
Fact check: False, no credible evidence to back the viral claim
The rumor of Tom Brady’s heroic feats may sound heartwarming, but they are entirely false.
According to fact-checking site Snopes, a search across platforms like Google and Bing yielded no credible news reports supporting claims that Brady donated millions, rescued stranded families and pets, paid for funeral expenses, attended memorials, or distributed supplies to flood victims.
These rumors appear to be part of a growing trend in which internet users fabricate feel-good stories featuring celebrities, such as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, singer Jelly Roll, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and others, performing heroic or charitable acts in the aftermath of disasters.
Facebook has identified many of these users as being based primarily in Vietnam, creating ad-filled posts linked to AI-generated articles designed to drive clicks and generate advertising revenue.
