The saga of Tom Brady’s potential Raiders ownership has taken another twist. After months of speculation and significant hurdles, a new face and potential partner has entered the fray: former Patriots and Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour. Reports indicate that Brady and Seymour are teaming up in their bid to acquire a 10.4% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently revealed, in an article he wrote on NBC Sports that, Hall of Famer Richard Seymour is coming close to finalizing a deal to become a minority partner of the Raiders alongside Brady.
The said development could really be a game-changer for Brady’s ownership desires because, in his initial bid, he offered to take a 10% stake for $175 million. However, it was putting the franchise at a $1.75 billion valuation, and most saw this as a very generous discount from team owner Mark Davis.
Now, the addition of Seymour to the equation could address some of the concerns surrounding Brady’s original offer. According to Florio, Brady and Seymour would be presenting their initial offer in October 2024 and would need approval from 24 NFL team owners. Notably, it won’t just be Brady and Seymour who own the 10.4% stake; their individual partners will also be included.
However, one lingering issue remains, which is Brady’s $375 million contract with Fox Sports to become their lead analyst. This existing commitment continues to raise questions about potential conflicts of interest.
Florio Highlights “Conflict of Interest” Concerns in Brady’s Ownership Negotiations
The potential for Brady to become a Raiders owner while maintaining his Fox Sports deal continues to raise eyebrows in the NFL community. Florio delved deeper into this complex situation on a recent segment of “NFL on NBC.”
The main concern Mike highlighted was that Brady’s dual roles could give him unprecedented access to inside information from other teams. If the former NFL QB learns valuable information during team meetings, Fox might expect him to share it during broadcasts for exclusive insights. Conversely, if he gains knowledge that could benefit the Las Vegas Raiders, the front office would likely want that information.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously mentioned the creation of guidelines to address this issue. However, Florio pointed out the lack of transparency surrounding these rules:
“They’ve got guidelines in place. They wouldn’t tell me what the guidelines were after the Commissioner mentioned ‘guidelines.’ Which is odd because I don’t know what he would have said if somebody followed up and said, ‘What are the guidelines?’”
Florio emphasized that while he’s not against Brady pursuing both roles, he maintains his stance that Brady can’t effectively be both a team owner and a network announcer. The potential conflicts would be a daily challenge for the NFL legend.
