Did Tom Brady’s broadcasting career end before it even started? How can that be? Well, Brady has agreed to buy a piece of the Las Vegas Raiders and it’s yet to be approved and when it does, the 7x Super Bowl-winning QB might face restriction in his movement. But journalism doesn’t thrive on restrictions and that’s what led to an impasse.
If and when Brady’s purchase of the Raiders is approved, he will face some restrictions on his access to other NFL teams. As Seth Wickersham of ESPN put it: “Brady would not be permitted to be in another team’s facility, would not be permitted to witness practice, and would not be permitted to attend broadcast production meetings, either in-person or virtually.”
Being a broadcaster would mean that Brady will have a lot of inside information on the other teams. Thus, being a part owner of the Raiders evidently conflicts with that privilege. If the Raiders approve the purchase, FOX might be forced to drop him and the former NFL QB will have to face a loss of $37.5 million.
This might be the NFL’s subtle way of telling Tom Brady that he can’t have his cake and eat it too. That’s because there are more restrictions at play here. Apparently, Brady cannot even criticize a referee on live TV or call them out for their lack of competitiveness. The league had to specifically come up with “Brady Broadcast Restrictions,” and presented them at a meeting in Minneapolis.
According to a slide that was presented in the meeting, Brady would be in “strictly social communication with members of other clubs,” and he would also be subject to the league’s gambling policy, per ESPN. So, what would Brady choose? A 10% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders or his 10-year $375 million deal with FOX?
Getting inside scoops is the bread and butter of the broadcasting business and Tom Brady is being denied those privileges. It all boils down to choosing one or the other unless he finds a way to circumvent the trap. But there are other roadblocks as far as his ownership of the Raiders is concerned.
Tom Brady just can’t catch a break
If only Tom Brady’s woes stopped here. There are other “advanced discussions” to be had about his ownership stake in the Raiders. Apparently, some people have qualms with the Raiders offering Brady a discount on ownership stakes. Even if the deal gets initially approved, 24 of the 32 team owners have to give the transaction a nod in order for it to be considered successful.
The news was initially reported by ESPN last year and there has been no conclusion to the problem. In fact, it just keeps blowing out of proportion. If the deal goes through, the only time Brady can be truly honest during a broadcast is when the Las Vegas Raiders are playing. However, there’s still a workaround that exists.
Brady can work with FOX till the time his deal gets done with the Raiders and figure out his next course of action later. For now, doing both things at the same time seems implausible.
