The agent says Tom Brady intends to continue broadcasting for Fox for the duration of the contract
Despite participating in the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching search as part owner of the team, Tom Brady will remain in his role as Fox’s No. 1 NFL game analyst, according to his agent.
Don Yi said Sports Business Journal That Brady intends to fulfill a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox Sports. He will have nine years remaining on the deal after this season.
“Tom has had a tremendous amount of fun working with Fox this year and is really excited about the future with Fox and his growth on their team.” Yee told SBJ’s Ben Fisher. “This year was the first year of a long relationship.”
Brady’s involvement in the Raiders’ coaching search presents a conflict of interest as he and play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhart called Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions. If the Lions advance to the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl, Brady and Burkhart will broadcast those games as well.
The Raiders interviewed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as part of their coaching research. Brady reportedly took an active role In recruiting Johnson To interview for this position.
As part of the rules the NFL established when it took an ownership stake in the Raiders, Brady is not allowed into another team’s facility. He is also not allowed to attend other teams’ practices or participate in production meetings with coaches, players and executives of any team whose game he calls.
However, as Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schaub pointed out, Brady providing an analysis of the Johnson-coached Lions’ matchup raises several questions:
“How is Brady supposed to call a game without mentioning Johnson and his offense? Would Brady be honest if he thought Johnson’s game plan was flawed? That’s part of being a color commentator. It’s almost impossible for Brady to call a game without some of his comments seeming like he’s blurring the lines The clincher between the Fox broadcaster and Raiders LLC owner.
Other teams vying to hire the Lions’ offensive coordinator will have valid concerns that Brady — and by extension the Raiders — will gain an advantage by offering analysis and potential praise for Johnson’s schemes.
Fox doesn’t seem to view Brady’s perceived conflict as a problem. Neither does Brady and his representation, considering the stated intention to fulfill his contract. Whether Brady’s comment during Saturday’s Fox broadcast allays concerns or perpetuates them will remain a subplot, perhaps for the next month.
