The offending courtroom sketch.
Image: Jane Rosenberg.

A poorly drawn courtroom sketch of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has prompted a slew of hilarious Internet headlines, memes, and tweets that have overshadowed legal proceedings.

Brady is in court to appeal a four-game suspension for his role in the infamous “DeflateGate” scandal of January 2015, in which the New England Patriots allegedly deflated footballs in order to gain advantage during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The offending sketch, which is by New York artist Jane Rosenberg, has been compared to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sméagol from Lord of the Rings, and even Ecce Homo, the beatific fresco by Elías Martínez that a well-intentioned octogenarian Spanish woman “restored” that became known as “Beast Jesus.”

“It looks like Brady’s face was put in one of those machines that crushes cars,” wrote Chris Chase for USA Today. “Did the courtroom artist hear “deflate” and assumed it related to the drawing of Brady’s face?”

Brady is known for his good looks—he’s married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, after all—so if he’s being compared to hunchbacks and botched art restorations, something clearly went awry during the drawing process.

The real Tom Brady.
Photo: Wikipedia.

Rosenberg, who has been a sketch artist for 35 years and has depicted public figures including Martha Stewart, Bill Cosby, and Woody Allen, told the New York Times that drawing celebrities is the toughest part of her job, because people have preconceived notions of what they look like.

“[I am] under a lot of pressure to work very quickly and do the best I can on the short deadline I’m on,” Rosenberg said. “I’m getting bad criticism that I made him look like Lurch [from The Addams Family] . . . and obviously I apologize to Tom Brady for not making him as good-looking as he is.”

Somehow, we think Tom will get over it. But not before the Internet has a little more fun with the strange rendering.

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