Tom Brady is not only the most-talked about football player right now. He's also the top-selling.
According to Fanatics, the largest retailer of officially licensed sports merchandise, sales of Brady gear have spiked 100 percent since Monday, when the NFL announced he would be suspended for four games next season.
"Our sense is fans are rallying behind Brady and the Patriots and supporting them," said Jack Boyle, president of merchandising for Fanatics.
Since May 6, when the NFL reported that the Patriots and Brady likely knew that they were using deflated game balls—which presumably are easier for receivers to catch—Brady has been the third-best-selling NFL player on the site after Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winson, the two top NFL draft picks.
This week, Brady gear is doing even better. "His jersey was the leading item the last 24 hours," Fanatics said.
The online retailer said it has remained well-stocked on Brady's #12 jersey. Historically, Fanatics said, this type of positive trajectory after negative news does not happen.
"We generally do not see an overall lift in sales if the news with a team is not favorable," said Boyle.
It's not just Brady seeing the surge. The Super Bowl-winning Patriots are the second highest-selling NFL team on their site, behind only the Dallas Cowboys.
Boyle said he expects another week or two of increased sales before they return to normal.