Tom Brady, the all-time great quarterback who conquered the NFL as a player, now wants to conquer it from the front office. He's not content with just dipping his toes into ownership; he wants a real voice in shaping the Las Vegas Raiders' future.
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But let's pump the brakes here — because this situation is a mess waiting to happen, wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Brady isn't just looking to be a passive investor. He wants to be involved, and that's got some people scratching their heads.
One source even said, "Tom is going to have a much bigger role than people think."
Great for Brady, right? Well, not so fast, Florio wrote. There's a massive catch: Brady's Sundays are already booked. He's committed to Fox, where he's supposed to be an "unbiased" analyst, making a cool $37.5 million a year.
So, let's break this down. Brady, while part-owner of the Raiders, would also be calling NFL games. His Raiders would be out there fighting for a playoff spot, and he's supposed to sit in the booth and give an impartial breakdown of their performance — and everyone else's?
That's not just awkward; it's impossible. If the Raiders are in a must-win game, you think Brady's not going to have a little extra juice in his analysis? It's a conflict of interest, plain and simple.
The league's already trying to dodge this bullet by banning Brady from team facilities and production meetings for games he works for Fox.
But that's just a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. The fact is, Brady's involvement in the Raiders while also being a high-paid broadcaster is bad for everyone — the Raiders, Fox, the viewers, and even the NFL itself.
Bottom line: nine NFL owners could stop this in its tracks. They'd be doing everyone a favor by voting no on Brady's ownership bid, Florio writes, and he may have a point.
Post-playing career or not, Brady has to make a choice. Being a broadcaster and a part-owner? That's not a winning combination.
