MAY 22: A Brady policy of sorts will need to be discussed if the Raiders agreement is eventually approved, per Roger Goodell (via Maske). The longtime commissioner mentioned the former QB’s access to team facilities as an issue if/once he becomes a minority owner.
This is still on hold, however. The latest round of owner meetings came and went without a vote on Brady’s Raiders stake, Maske adds. Despite the progress being made, Goodell said issues remain. Brady’s TV career appears a key matter. More than a year has now passed since Brady agreed to buy a stake in the AFC West franchise, and while Goodell discussing the topic keeps it on the radar, NFL owners continue to delay this matter.
MAY 17: In the news lately for his much-discussed roast and a mention of a possible in-season comeback, Tom Brady is months away from beginning his career as a play-by-play analyst. The legendary quarterback will cover the Cowboys-Browns matchup for FOX in Week 1.
While some doubt about Brady following through with his broadcasting deal existed, we are moving close to a rare setup in which the NFL’s most famous player calls games for a network. This gig will allow Brady access to team facilities during the lead-up to games. Hans Schroeder, CEO of NFL media, said (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) no limitations regarding which games Brady can or cannot cover are in place.
The subject of limitations pertaining to Brady’s new role has come up due to his ongoing quest to become a part-owner of the Raiders. In May 2023, Brady agreed to purchase a stake of Mark Davis‘ franchise. The agreement, however, is still not official. Although concerns about the stake price Davis set for Brady have been resolved, the conflict-of-interest issue remains. With Brady now firmly on track to start his analyst career this season, the Washington Post’s Mark Maske reports some in the ownership ranks have expressed issues with him receiving access to team practices and facilities for his FOX role.
Should Brady ultimately be approved as a Raiders minority owner, teams will naturally be leery about sharing information with him while he is representing FOX. This would put questions to either the NFL or certain teams about limiting the future Hall of Famer’s access ahead of broadcasting assignments. The issue of a universal Brady policy taking effect or if his access will be determined on a team-by-team basis has come up, Maske adds.
The prospect of Brady’s status changing if he is approved as a Raiders part-owner does appear to be in play. Schroeder left this door open by qualifying the NFL’s no-limitations stance re: Brady by saying (via Maske), “Right now, Tom’s not an owner of the Raiders.” If the 46-year-old QB-turned-announcer is approved, this will make for an interesting chapter in NFL broadcasting history.
A February report indicated Brady’s path to becoming a Raiders part-owner was clearing up, but during the latest round of meetings in late March, no discussions about a vote on this matter are believed to have taken place. No Brady ownership talk occurred at the December owners meetings, either. Brady’s ownership route remains on hold, but it is not closed off yet. Brady said last year he plans to plav a “very passive” role as a minority owner, though a November report pointed to him being involved in the Raiders’ HC and GM hiring process. This job at FOX — one Brady delayed for a year in an effort to better prepare himself following his second retirement as a player — continues to generate understandable concerns among teams.
Brady, who co-owns the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces with Davis, did see an effort to become a player/owner with the Dolphins nixed — to the point the team lost first- and third-round picks and saw its owner suspended — and the NFL may soon need to make another decision on a dual role involving the former Patriots and Buccaneers QB.
“This gig will allow Brady access to team facilities during the lead-up to games”.
Just imagine the game changing secrets Brady could uncover in the team cafeteria. I’m not a fan of Tom but this paranoid conspiracy against him is turning into a farce.
You obviously have never been in the team facilities. There is a lot of info available beyond food. One big bit of info is seeing how certain players who might or might not play are looking. Overhearing stuff of course. Plus just the fact it could makes teams uncomfortable especially given that Brady has never been known for being truthful, should be enough for NFL to say you can’t do both.
What,Brady cheat…..
Name one time Brady has been caught cheating!!
Only one?
This seems like it would be one or the other, announce or be a part owner. That it’s gotten this far is ludicrous.
Our personal opinions of Brady and/or the Patriots’ prior scandals aside, this is not an exception that the NFL would be considering for another person. Announcers get more direct access, or additional direct access, to both the teams themselves or third party decisions or information from the league. Whatever the smallest bit of it is, it’s more than others do, and it potentially could be more than that.
What I cannot comprehend is why we’re supposed to just owe him our support because of who he is. The “come on, it’s Brady, he’s special” thing doesn’t magically erase any concerns. Nobody owes him an opportunity; it’s simply either the announcing gig, or the ownership one. Just pick.
On the other hand, should open the door for other players to try and do the same?
Yet another annoying voice to mute during games. Bring back announcerless games!
I get the conflict of interest, that’s pretty clear. You can’t have 2 bosses from 2 different companies. But isn’t Brady just investing some cash as a minority owner? What’s he going to do with any secrets he learns, that any other announcer would or wouldn’t do? He’s just calling the game.
and would eventually profit from the Raider’s success, giving him incentive to share details with their staff. That’s the very definition of conflict of interest
There is always the synchronizing the game with the radio broadcast option!
This MF is trying to rig the game even after retirement.
My cynical self believes the real reason the owners don’t want Brady as part of their exclusive club is because they fear he might become privy to their own secret shenanigans and closet skeletons.
He’s got his own, so I’d suspect he’d blend in well.
This is absurd.
There is NO evidence that Tom Brady would ever use ill gotten information about other teams.
Goodell destroyed it.
You don’t “place limitations” on being a sports analyst or reporter. Either the reporter is completely unbiased, or at least appears to the public as being completely unbiased, or that person is essentially compromised and shouldn’t be working in the media. There is no middle road.
I can’t fathom how this idea has progressed this far. No one should be an owner and an announcer in the same sport at the same time. Ever. Period.
The concept of being “completely unbiased” sounds nice but it’s a fallacy in the real world. You would only have to watch a few NFL games to realize that even the (supposedly impartial) game officials have clear biases.
I’m well aware of that. But you have to at least “appear” unbiased. Everyone has biases, it’s human nature. But they shouldn’t be this obvious.
That pic is a meme for real life ‘Theater of Pain.’
Can’t have it all Tom, shoulda learned that frm Giselle departure. It’s minority team owner or big time announcer gig but not both. It does cross lines.
Brady is a part owner of Birmingham City Football Club in England — who have cratered in spectacular fashion. Last October, Birmingham sacked the manager who got them to 6th place in the EFL Championship (second tier) and fighting for promotion to the Premier League. As a result Birmingham fell all the way to 22nd and thus relegated to EFL League One (third tier).
I feel like the risk here is kind of overblown. Could Tom Brady get information and relay it to the Raiders? Sure, yes. Could any team in the league pay any announcer for information in discreet ways? Also, yes. There’s a lot more risk in approaching some random announcer to arrange this, but… It’s not like Tom Brady is the only announcer who could be passing along information, if this available information is even THAT valuable.
What information would he get as an announcer that wouldn’t already he public?
He’s not a beat reporter or Adam schefter
Can’t imagine you really read what I wrote… We’re on the same side lmao
The NFL is correctly slow-walking Brady’s Raiders deal cos he would be a servant of two masters — Mark Davis and Fox Sports.
Not only that, Brady would parachute into Fox’s top broadcast team to replace Greg Olsen, who just won a Sports Emmy for best event analyst.
Thoroughbred trainers work for numerous owners and nobody screams “conflict of interest”. In fact legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas recently won the Preakness Stakes with a colt (Seize The Grey) that has over 2500 owners.
Lots of media have that access to facilities I don’t think they get insight into game management coaches don’t want to be known. If they do they report it that’s their job. Same for Brady