When Tom Brady began to pursue an ownership stake in the Raiders as he approached his first season as a broadcaster for FOX Sports, the NFL took note of the potential conflict of interest and installed several rules in response.
Among them was a ban on attending pre-game production meetings with players and coaches from both teams. That restriction has now been lifted, per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Previously, Brady had to get notes from a classmate – in this case, his broadcasting partner Kevin Burkhardt – to inform his color commentary. The league made an exception for the Super Bowl in February, which will now become a permanent rule.
Brady is still barred from stepping foot in other team’s facilities or attending their practices, as he was last year. He must also continue to adhere to NFL rules that prohibit owners from publicly criticizing officials or other teams. Given Brady’s role as an analyst, he received some leeway on that front.
Other team owners – particularly the Chiefs’ Clark Hunt – insisted on Brady’s restrictions entering his first season as a broadcaster, but the NFL seems to have assessed his commentary and his role in Las Vegas and determined that the potential conflict of interest is not a major concern. Brady has described himself as a “sounding board”, though he was reportedly instrumental in the Raiders’ organizational overhaul this offseason, helping land a triumvirate of new leadership in head coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek, and quarterback Geno Smith.
He’s so boring and uninteresting who cares what meetings he attends. No one tunes into a game to hear Brady ramble on and on and no one needs any updates on this has been awful father.
Whoa buddy
I’d rather hear a better commentator without the obvious conflict of interest concerns in Greg Olsen.
I wonder how long Olsen is stuck there? He lost the #1 spot he most definitely earned for a lesser talent but a bigger name.
Any CBS game analyst is superior to Mr. Double-Dipper.
The conflict of interest and special treatment is now just embarrassing. Before, they at least were paying it lip service. They aren’t even trying to pretend that care anymore. Who cares if Brady does or does not do it-why does he even get the chance? What do we owe him?
Mute button?
I may be in the minority on this, but I turn the sound down for television sports of all kinds. I can see what’s going on and it saves me a lot of irritation having to listen to any of these people.
Started doing this about 10 years ago. Games are far more enjoyable.
Summerall and Madden were probably the last booth I actually wanted to hear during a football game. Al Michaels and Madden were good, too. Now you have chatterboxes like Mark Shlereth who don’t shut up for an instant between the whistle and the next play’s snap. Chris Spielman was cut from that cloth but I’m not sure he does games anymore. Romo started out good but now he’s one of the worst, frequently unprepared and coasting.
Summerall and Madden have always been the standard. Michaels act has gotten stale.
“Always been the standard” for mainly doing Cowboys and Giants. Not edifying when they had to prep for games not involving those 2 teams.
Alfalfa has the Prime Video gig only because his boss there was his boss at NBC.
I agree about Romo. Very disappointing. He’s funny occasionally, but his work seems more and more from the hip and sometimes a bit slanted. He still has the so called tribal knowledge in spades, it just seems more like he’s flying unprepared these days. I could be wrong, just the impression.
@Ak185: I’ve read that he used to prepare a lot for games but in recent years has taken a much more lax approach. I don’t know how true it is but I believe it having listened to him. He used to break down plays and even predict them based on his research and own knowledge. Now he barely knows who some of the players are.
You’re probably right; I’ve had the same thoughts. Disappointing, because I (like many of us) were pleasantly surprised at first.
I’m probably in the minority on this, but I turn the sound down on all television sports. I can see what’s going on and it saves me the irritation of having to listen to any of these people.
You could be in the minority on this. Probably. Maybe.
I don’t think he is in the minority. Any game you watch in public, like at a sports bar, will usually have the sound way down.
Personally I’d love to hear more from ownership groups front offices in the booth during a game
Bring in one from each team let them do commentary on the games and discuss team stuff behind the scenes stuff for fans
. Bring em on as special guests.
They do that in preseason, not during the season.
Which is why I said I’d love to hear more from ownership and front offices during games
Especially towards trade deadline and end of the season when guys are in playoff hunt or teams are out of contention
Let’s hear Jerry Jones in the booth during a Cowboys game. He’d probably be plastered by the third quarter and would need a nap.
Long as he’s entertaining and the second coming of Dandy Don Meredith I welcome it with open arms
Rules for thee, but not for Brady.
Why start now?
Brady will now have access to information about teams while simultaneously being part owner of the Raiders.
And Toms a known cheater.
Thats why people care.
I wonder how teams adjust knowing Tom is gonna share what he learns with the Raiders.
Yep exactly. If you’re coaching a team that plays the Raiders in week 7, and Brady is covering your team in week 3, why would you give him insight on your game plan or other privileged information, when the possibility exists that he will communicate that information to the Raiders staff? It’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility.
Id say its likely – Its Tom.
Slight tangent: Im not ready for a superbowl called by Tom Beady/Aaron Rodgers in a couple years.
But being a Bills fan, our luck will be thats when we finally get back to one.
I wanna hear from Rogers about as much as I wanna hear from my ex- wife.
Would it really matter if criticism of the game officials was permitted? Goodell and his minions wouldn’t do anything about it anyway. Roger knows he can’t say “Shape up or we’ll bring in replacement officials” because the last time the league did that it was a complete disaster with an enormous fan backlash.
I think I’d enjoy his commenting a lot more if every other play didn’t “remind me of something I did during such-and-such game.” We know, Tom, we know.
Well I guess when the Raiders win the division and go on a Super Bowl run, we can come back to this.
This seems like a negative commentary on the Raiders by the NFL. I mean, it’s like the NFL is saying no amount of cheating can help them anyway. So, go ahead Tommy.
I listen to simulcasts on YouTube where fans talk about the game. Much better.