Fans and analysts may have issues with Tom Brady working as both a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and an NFL analyst at Fox, but the league itself seemingly does not.
During his annual Super Bowl week press conference on Monday, commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in from the league’s perspective for the first time since Brady was approved as a minority owner in Las Vegas.
Goodell reminded everyone listening that like any NFL official, Brady is subject to tampering rules. And if he breaks them, Brady will be held accountable for his misconduct like anyone else.
Beyond that, Goodell revealed that he and Brady speak regularly about this exact issue.
“Tom has been incredibly cooperative,” Goodell said. “He calls frequently about it and says, ‘Am I doing OK?’ And I think he’s serious about making sure that he separates these two and doesn’t put anyone in a potential position of conflict.”
This hardly comes as a surprise. If Roger Goodell or NFL owners had an issue with Brady working both jobs, they had the chance to vote against him as a minority owner in October. And given the importance of the NFL relationship for Fox, they would presumably listen to the league if it implied that Brady was an untenable option.
There clearly are issues at play for Brady and Fox. Most basically, what happens if the Raiders are in the Super Bowl the next time Fox broadcasts the big game, in 2029?
Brady was hired in large part because of the aura and importance he brings to the Fox booth. The network and the league cannot pick and choose which parts of that resume they care about when it comes to being an unbiased ambassador for the sport.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.