AN ATTEMPT BY New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to patent one of his nicknames has run into opposition from the New York Mets baseball team.

NFL superstar Brady’s TEB Capital company is seeking trademark protection for the phrase “Tom Terrific” according to filings with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The six-time Super Bowl champion is planning to use the nickname for a clothing line as well as collectible trading cars with the same name. But the move has drawn a frosty response from the Mets, who have noted that their Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver was fondly known by the same name 50 years ago, a title borrowed from a TV cartoon.

In a posting on Twitter, the Mets appealed directly to the US Patent and Trademark Office to register their opposition to Brady’s move.

“Hey @uspto, with all due respect to @TomBrady…There’s only one #TomTerrific to us,” the Mets wrote in a posting.

The 74-year-old Seaver’s family announced in March through the baseball Hall of Fame that he was suffering from dementia and would make no more public appearances.

The pitcher led the Mets to victory in the World Series in 1969, the highlight of 12 seasons with the New York franchise that yielded 198 of his 311 career victories. He finished his career with the Boston Red Sox.

Brady’s patent move has thrown more fuel on the eternal fire of Boston and New York’s bitter sporting rivalry.

Mets fans slammed Brady’s attempt to claim the “Tom Terrific” nickname as his own.

The New York Post meanwhile weighed in with an editorial lambasting Brady.  “Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has  filed to trademark the nickname ‘Tom Terrific.’ Wow: ‘Tom the Twit’ is more like it,” the paper wrote.

“He’s the winningest QB in NFL history. But if he can’t manage more class, he deserves to go down in history as ‘Shady Brady.’”

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!