NFL star Tom Brady is currently facing a potential conflict of interest as he pursues his bid to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders while also working as an on-air broadcaster. The 47-year-old quarterback began discussions in May 2023 regarding his partial ownership of the football team, but the deal is still pending approval. If approved, Brady would need to adhere to a set of restrictions imposed by the league.
Having played his final NFL season in 2022, Brady is now an announcer for Fox Sports under a lucrative 10-year, $375 million contract with the network. ESPN reports that during an August 27 meeting in Minneapolis, team owners were presented with an extensive list of restrictions that would apply to Brady.
While he will be allowed to call Raiders games, Brady must comply with league regulations that prohibit public criticism of other teams and officials. He will not have access to opposing team facilities or be permitted to observe practices. Additionally, he is prohibited from attending broadcast production meetings either in person or virtually – something most analysts typically participate in when preparing for coverage.
It’s worth noting that these limitations do not apply to other members of the Fox crew. Furthermore, as part-owner, Brady must also follow guidelines established for all team owners. This includes potential fines or suspension if he engages in excessive disagreement or criticism towards other clubs or game officials. He is also subject to the league’s gambling and anti-tampering policies and can only engage in strictly social communication with members from other teams.
The Epoch Times reached out for comments from representatives at Fox and the Raiders but did not receive any response at publication time. It remains uncertain whether team owners will approve Brady’s bid after they failed to vote on it during the NFL’s annual league meeting earlier this year.
Criticism has been directed towards Brady due to concerns raised by league owners about him receiving a discounted price below market value for his proposed 10 percent stake from majority owner Mark Davis.
If it passes through committee review successfully, at least 24 out of the 32 owners must approve Brady’s ownership stake during future discussions scheduled for October.
It should be noted that aside from pursuing ownership within the NFL franchise realm, Tom Brady already holds partial ownership stakes in another sports venture – specifically WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces – which interestingly enough are also owned by Mark Davis.