After retiring, unretiring and then retiring again, quarterback Tom Brady has officially hung up the cleats, but he is far from done in the football world. The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s retirement ventures have kept him heavily involved in the league.
This season, Brady is moving to the Fox broadcast booth where he will serve as a color commentator. He is simultaneously looking to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, seemingly causing a conflict of interest.
Being an owner of a team and having non-bias commentary behind the microphone don’t seem to mix, but for right now all 32 teams could have Brady calling their games. This may change if and when the deal with the Raiders goes through.
“Right now, Tom’s not an owner of the Raiders, and as we go into this year, Tom’s able to call any game on the schedule,” NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder said, via NBC Sports.
The quote suggests that if Brady becomes an owner, there could be limitations on which games he is assigned. The Raiders’ AFC West rivals may be hesitant in allowing No. 12 to get too close to the team the week he is set to broadcast one of their games.
The first game of Brady’s broadcast career is set to be the Dallas Cowboys against the Browns in Cleveland in Week 1 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis agreed on the future Hall of Famer to become a majority owner last May. The process has taken a while and is more involved than just the team owner giving their approval. In order for the deal to go through, the NFL and three-fourths majority of team owners need approve the transaction.
One reported reason the deal has been delayed is due to the low price. Brady is attempting to purchase around 5-10 percent of the team. Other reports state his broadcasting job is another reason to deny him from owning part of a team.
At the NFL annual league meetings, commissioner Roger Goodell gave an update, saying he “wouldn’t say it’s a delay.”
“We go through a very thorough process on all initial transfers, so we’re just going through that process. We’ve been in touch with their side and the Raiders. I think it’s making progress,” Goodell said.
Just how much longer it could take to get approved is not known.
