Buyers interested in viral Tom Brady courtroom sketch

Jane Rosenberg’s sketch, which showed a frowning Tom Brady looking down as he sat on a courtroom bench, turned into an Internet memeJane Rosenberg/Reuters

Those who harshly criticized courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg last week for her visual interpretation of quarterback Tom Brady sitting in court during a Deflategate hearing may not be laughing much longer — she could rake in some cash for the drawing.

Rosenberg, who attracted a swell of Internet attention for the Brady sketch — some positive, some negative — said more than two dozen people have reached out to her through e-mail in the wake of the media blitz, hoping to purchase the original drawing for their personal collections.

“I haven’t decided if I am going to sell the original,” Rosenberg said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “I’m sitting on it, and I am trying to figure it out. I won’t sell it for a low amount right away. If someone offered a huge sum of money, I might think, ‘Well, take the money and run.’ ”

Rosenberg’s sketch, which showed a frowning Brady looking down as he sat on a courtroom bench, turned into an Internet meme. His head was Photoshopped onto images of Michael Jackson dancing in the “Thriller” music video, put in place of E.T.’s head in movie posters, and mocked on Twitter.

Rosenberg said since last week she has received more than 700 e-mails about the sketch, many of them supporting her for enduring the barrage of critique for her artistic endeavour.

Among the e-mails were 25 offers to purchase the sketch.

“The memes and news coverage must have increased the value,” Rosenberg said. “It’s not like I’m a wealthy person, so I could use the money. But I am not sure what I’ll do.”

Rosenberg, who owns the Brady sketch, said it’s not uncommon for her to sell her courtroom sketches.

Besides offers for the original, people have also asked her to do commissioned work, or make replicas.

She said a museum in the Boston area also asked if it could borrow the drawing to put on display for a limited time.

“People want it — I don’t even know why. Maybe it’s a collector’s item? I don’t really know,” Rosenberg said.

For now, she is on the fence about what her next move will be, as she recovers from the sudden fame brought on by the drawing.

“I know the value goes down every day. If I sold it that day, I probably would have gotten a lot. But I can’t act so quickly,” she said. “I have been in a whirlwind and I haven’t been able to think about things carefully. I have been overwhelmed. It’s really been unbelievable.”