Tom Brady and Logan Paul Get Into Heated Exchange That Ends With a Slap. But Was It Fake?

Skip to main content By Chris Gardner Plus Icon Chris Gardner chrissgardner Follow Sign Up View All July 17, 2026 7:04pm Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Chris Costa, Wesley Sneijder, Tom Brady, Karl-Anthony Towns and Logan Paul speak during the This is Why We Collect panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics) Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Tom Brady and Logan Paul shared a stage at Fanatics Fest in New York on Friday, and when their panel ended, an alleged beef heated up and boiled over into an exchange that ended with a slap to the face. Or did it?

A clip posted on Fanatics’ X account showed the moment Brady and Paul faced off near center stage while exchanging what appeared to be spicy words. Brady then removes his hand from the pocket of his camouflage cargo pants and moves to strike. At first glance, it appears Brady slapped Paul across the face, but closer inspection shows that Brady’s hand missed the target and only made contact with Paul’s shoulder.

At that moment, New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns jumped in to break up the “fight.” See the clip below. Related Stories Business WWE Gets Into Microdramas With ReelShort Collaboration (Exclusive) Movies How John Cena Became the Go-to Star to Help Comedy Movies Get Made Round 100 of this never ending beef at Fanatics Fest 😭 pic.

twitter.com/w7N6WwHnCz— Fanatics (@Fanatics) July 17, 2026 “This happened [because] I was roasting Tom for beating him in flag football. And he tries to smack me??”

Paul replied on X, referring to their dust-up during another Fanatics event, the 2026 Fanatics Flag Football Classic back in March. “Horrible example for the kids.” Brady weighed in, too, calling Paul a “dork” and replying directly to Paul’s X post by saying, “I tried America…

will try again next time I see this nerd.” Dork pic.twitter.

com/zKOfL6VUOE— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 17, 2026 This happened bc I was roasting Tom for beating him in flag football. And he tries to smack me ?? Horrible example for the kidsAura -100 + Blocked.

With a torn tricep https://t.co/3EMBQwYT9M— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) July 17, 2026 Needless to say, the original Fanatics clip went viral and within three hours had been viewed more than five million times. Maybe that was the point all along?

After rising to fame as an influencer, YouTube content creator and entrepreneur, Paul took his act to the WWE. He’s been signed to the entertainment company since 2022, and has emerged as a big star in the ring though he’s been sidelined for two months due a torn tricep. During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Paul discussed his current status by saying, “I’m an independent contractor with the WWE, and I respect the WWE.

In fact, I’m so grateful for what they’ve done, and honestly, they’re grateful for me too because of what I’ve done for the business. And they are. They pay me handsomely — extremely handsomely, may I add.”

Maybe some of the money is heading Brady’s way? He dropped some not-so-veiled hints that a debut in the ring could be on the horizon. “I feel like, I’m retired from football, have the opportunity to go out there and showcase that I’m still a little bit of an athlete.

My boy [Rob Gronkowski’s] done it, I’ve seen Logan Paul do it. I think I could get in there for at least one match, right?” Brady asked during an appearance at Fanatics Fest on Thursday, per Bleacher Report.

The legendary quarterback went so far as to say that he’d love to be a heel, aka villain or bad guy. “It’s such an easy choice,” Brady said. “I’m a bad guy.

I’ve always been a bad guy. I mean, I feel like when our teams did really well, I would always go into these stadiums and I would feel that. When you go on the road and you’ve had some success in the NFL, they don’t like you.

It’s an incredible feeling when you work that entire day to basically try to send the crowd home early.” There are some major WWE events on the calendar — including WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLV tomorrow at New York’s Madison Square Garden — so it’s possible Brady could be in some spandex very soon. But as far as the slap goes, even Grok wasn’t convinced.

It's a playful (likely staged promo) moment from Fanatics Fest NYC. Tom Brady and Logan Paul were bantering about athleticism/WWE stuff on stage. Brady slapped him, KAT stepped in to de-escalate, and it stayed light/fun.

Not WWE prep—just celebrity event vibes with their ongoing…— Grok (@grok) July 17, 2026 THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up THR, Esq Donald