Tom Brady Ownership Deal With Raiders To Be Discussed This Week; Not As Sure As Some Think?

The NFL’s team owners are set to meet in Atlanta this Tuesday, and according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, one of the topics of discussion will likely be an approval vote for former quarterback Tom Brady‘s proposed deal for part-ownership of the Raiders.

The future Hall of Famer has been toying around with several post-NFL careers in the last two years. He currently works as an analyst with FOX Sports, has been pursuing an ownership stake in the Raiders, and many times has seemingly flirted with unretiring a second time. His pursuit of the Raiders’ ownership stake has faced its challenges, though, as many have noted a conflict of interest with his broadcasting duties.

Of course, teams do not want anyone with an ownership stake in a rival outfit having the access and obtaining the inside information that broadcasters often enjoy, and Brady has done little to suggest that his access will be any different than that of his media peers. In fact, the only suggestion has been on the other end of the deal with the idea that Brady would be a “very passive” part-owner.

Still, at points in the last calendar year, Brady’s ownership interest was cleared for approval (but an approval vote was still put on hold), former defensive tackle Richard Seymour joined in Brady’s bid, restrictions on Brady’s duties as an announcer were suggested by the NFL, and Brady upped his offer for the ownership stake, separating from Seymour’s bid in the process.

A source for The Washington Post suggested that a vote could finally be coming this Tuesday. Brady and Tom Wagner, a co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, are reportedly attempting to purchase 10 percent of the franchise at an alleged discounted price from principal owner Mark Davis. The league informed owners that if the vote goes through, Brady’s access to teams in his broadcasting role would be limited. Those limitations include being barred from production meetings with NFL teams and from being present in teams’ facilities during any team activities.

The vote requires at least 24 of the league’s 32 owners to ratify the deal. It’s been pending with the NFL finance committee since last year but has steadily progressed to the point of a potential vote this week. While some NFL sources, like ESPN’s Adam Schefter, seem to expect the vote to pass as a formality, others, like Mike Florio of NBC Sports, still believe that the vote is not a done deal. Several teams were involved in raising concerns about Brady’s broadcasting access, and if just nine of them still hold reservations, the deal may get declined.

Florio also reports that Seymour’s bid, which, again, was separated from Brady’s, has a better chance of approval. Seymour’s bid has progressed like Brady’s but is unburdened by the conflicts of Brady’s deal. An end to both situations could be in sight this week.