Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady has taken his commitment to family pets to a new technological extreme, revealing Tuesday that his current dog, Junie, is a clone of his family’s beloved late pet, Lua. The news, which coincided with an announcement from a biotechnology company he invests in, immediately sparked a sharp ethical debate across social media about pet ownership, grief, and genetic science.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, shared that the cloning was accomplished using a non-invasive blood sample collected from Lua, a Pit Bull mix who passed away in December 2023. The procedure was handled by Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences, a biotech firm where Brady is a personal investor. The company specializes in genetic technology, including headline-making de-extinction efforts for creatures like the woolly mammoth.
A Quest for Longevity and Connection
The legendary athlete, who shares Lua and Junie with his children and ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, framed the move as an intensely personal decision driven by love and loss.
“I love my animals. They mean the world to me and my family,” Brady said in a statement. He added that the cloning process gave his family a “second chance with a clone of our beloved dog,” emphasizing that Junie is viewed not as a scientific experiment, but as “part of our family again.”
The announcement follows Colossal’s acquisition of Viagen Pets and Equine, a company that has previously cloned pets for celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton. Brady noted his excitement about how the merged technology could help both families grieving the loss of pets and larger efforts to save endangered species.
Social Media Weighs in on the Ethics
While many fans expressed understanding for Brady’s desire to recapture the connection he had with Lua, the majority of social media commentary was divided, focusing heavily on the ethics and perceived “weirdness” of the practice.
Critics immediately questioned the decision, pointing to the crisis in animal welfare and the millions of adoptable animals currently residing in shelters:
The episode places Brady at the center of a growing, controversial conversation about pet cloning, science, and the limits of wealth. While Brady and his family continue to cherish Junie, the public is left to grapple with the emotional, financial, and ethical costs of bringing a loved one back through technology.
