Ex-Nebraska football player pays $30K for Brady's 'My Cause' cleats

The winning bidder for the shoes that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wore as part of the NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" campaign has been identified.

Rod Yates, a Nebraska outlet mall owner who played split end for Tom Osborne's Nebraska football team in the mid-1980s, paid $30,050 for the game-used cleats, according to former Boston Herald writer Jon Couture. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to Brady's choice of charities - the Ellie Fund and Best Buddies, which provide support to breast cancer patients and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, respectively.

Yates had already bid $20,010 on the cleats when Couture interviewed him in December, and said he was prepared to put down another $20,000.

"Being a former athlete, I've always had a lot of admiration for Tom Brady," Yates said. "It's probably that video of him running his 40-yard dash at the pro day back in (2000), which was one of the funniest videos ever.

"Any time we get an opportunity to do something neat with charity and giving back, we always love to do it. So when I saw that opportunity to get Tom's cleats, being one of his loyal fans, I took the opportunity."

The "My Cause My Cleats" campaign allows players to wear customized cleats for one game, which showcase charities and causes important to them. The cleats are then auctioned off through the NFL Auction website.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield currently holds the highest active auction bid at $3,660.

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