At 47, Tom Brady has reinvented himself yet again, moving from the field to the booth and the boardroom. But his unparalleled resume is now becoming more of a cause for criticism than awe.
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The optics of his dual role as a broadcaster and partial team owner remain complicated. The debate intensified after Brady was spotted with a headset on in the Raiders’ coaching booth during their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While the NFL confirmed he had not broken any rules, critics argue that access to production meetings with other teams’ players and coaches — access he receives through Fox — gives the Raiders an unfair advantage.
For his part, Brady has fired back at critics questioning whether he can juggle being both a Fox analyst and a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. In his weekly newsletter, the seven-time Super Bowl champion addressed what he called misplaced suspicion.
“When you live through uncertain and untrusting times like we are today, it is very easy to watch a person’s passions and profession intersect, and to believe you’re looking at some sort of dilemma. Because when you’re blinded by distrust, it’s hard to see anything other than self-interest,” Brady wrote in his newsletter.
Brady insisted that his dual role does not create a conflict of interest but instead stems from what he sees as a moral duty to the sport:
“At its core, football is a game of principles. And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles intersect is not actually a point of conflict. Rather, it’s the place from which my ethical duty emerges: to grow, evolve, and improve the game that has given me everything.”
However, Skip Bayless isn’t buying it. He accused Brady of flaunting his status as the NFL’s GOAT and sending a “big FU” to both the league and to Fox executives, pointing to his controversial appearance wearing a headset in the Raiders’ booth.
Furthermore, he accused Fox Sports of being “scared” of Brady and going to unusual lengths to protect his image during NFL telecasts.
Bayless also blasted Fox for running repeated Brady commercials during broadcasts he was calling, suggesting the network was attempting to manipulate public opinion.
“During Brady’s telecast as he’s commentating on a game, every other commercial is a Tom Brady commercial. You guys have seen them. They’re trying to say, ‘Look how smart he is. Look how great he is. He’s really not that bad as a broadcaster, is he?’ Do you think they run ads for Tony Romo during a CBS telecast that he’s calling a game on? No way,” Bayless said.
Fox’s decision to aggressively market Brady during his broadcasts may signal confidence in their $375 million investment, or, as Bayless suggests, fear of public rejection. Either way, Brady’s presence continues to dominate the NFL conversation, both on and off the field.
As for if his dual roles are really a problem for other teams, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, whose team played under Brady’s watch last week before facing the Raiders, said he wasn’t concerned: “I have no intention of giving trade secrets to Brady.”
