NFL owners have officially given the green light to Tom Brady’s purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brady, widely regarded as the most accomplished player in NFL history, will now own roughly five percent of the franchise.
The news has sparked excitement among Raiders fans, who are thrilled to have the seven-time Super Bowl champion involved in the team’s future.
However, Brady’s new role as part of the Raiders’ ownership group will significantly affect his broadcasting duties with FOX Sports.
As a minority owner, Brady will face several restrictions due to NFL rules.
He will be prohibited from entering other NFL teams’ facilities, attending practices, or participating in FOX production meetings with teams.
This presents a unique challenge for his role as a color commentator, which traditionally relies on inside access to team information.
Brady’s ability to provide candid commentary on FOX will also be limited.
According to ESPN, Brady will not be allowed to publicly criticize other teams or NFL officials, placing an enormous constraint on his broadcast analysis, which has already come under fire for not being critical enough.
Additionally, he will be subject to the league’s strict gambling and anti-tampering regulations.
Brady signed a historic 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX.
With Brady restricted from key meetings, Burkhardt will need to take on more of the workload typically shared by both commentators.
Despite these hurdles, Brady will be on the call this Sunday for one of the biggest games of the entire NFL season. Of course, I’m talking about the much-anticipated Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
Brady celebrated the approval of his ownership state with a social media post that had to sting for New England Patriots fans.
The good news for the Raiders is that by all accounts Brady will play a much more active role in the organization than most minority owners do.
Of course, the vast majority of the football world outside of Las Vegas (and Oakland) are greatly annoyed by the whole situation.
After all, how can anyone expect Brady to provide unbiased analysis on the games he broadcasts when he’s an actual owner of a team in the league?
What are your thoughts on the whole situation???