Rare Tom Brady memorabilia at center of lawsuit between superfan, Patriots

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Daniel Vitale is a giant New England Patriots fan. 

So much so, he let the team borrow an American flag autographed by legendary quarterback Tom Brady.

Vitale filed a lawsuit against the Patriots Hall of Fame after he claims they damaged the rare piece of memorabilia when they displayed it using "improper techniques."

Tom Brady's signature began to fade, which possibly reduced the value of the item by as much as $1 million, according to the suit filed Wednesday in Boston.

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The New England Patriots mascot waves a flag during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sept. 27, 2020. (Paul Rutherford-USA Today Sports)

According to Yahoo Sports, the American flag flew over Foxboro Stadium in 2001, which also marked Brady's first year as the starting quarterback for the Patriots. At some point during that same year, the flag was signed by Brady.

The flag was then authenticated. A patch was sewn into the flag to acknowledge the team's final season in Foxboro Stadium. The Patriots moved to their current home, Gillette Stadium, in 2002.

Vitale said he only agreed to loan the flag to the Patriots Hall of Fame in June 2021 because he was guaranteed that it would be taken care of properly.

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Tom Brady is the former quarterback of the New England Patriots. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

According to the suit, the lighting at the Hall of Fame was designed to protect the memorabilia. Further, the lawsuit points the finger at the display case's glass