The recent news surrounding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has taken the NFL by storm. Needless to say, it seems the hot take was simply too good to be true.

Boston Herald columnist Ron Borges reported that Brady intended to sit out of organized team activities if he did not receive a deal similar to that of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the claim has since been proven to be a hoax. The Herald has offered an official statement along with an apology to Brady and his representation per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk:

“A column by Ron Borges in today's Herald regarding Patriot Tom Brady's salary discussions was based on information which proved to be false,” the paper said in a statement. “The Herald apologizes to Brady, his agent Don Yee and the Patriots, and to our readers for this erroneous report. Borges' column has been suspended pending further review.”

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Borges claimed that he had received a text from someone pretending to be Brady's agent, Don Yee. The false reports obviously had tremendous implications for Lee, who represents both Brady and Garoppolo. The culprit, who remains at large, has since admitted that the whole thing was a prank.

As foul as it may be, the timing of it was perfect considering all that has happened over the last week. Furthermore, the Patriots have had to deal with their fair share of scandalous headlines throughout the year with Garoppolo's departure. However, it just goes to show what a little bit of due diligence from a journalist standpoint could do to prevent these things from happening.