Sports

Former ESPN President Critical Of Tom Brady’s Massive Contract With Fox

#Tom Brady
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  • Tom Brady will move into a broadcasting role with Fox when he decides to hang up the cleats in the NFL
  • One former ESPN executive was critical of the price Fox is paying to land the legendary passer
  • Read more NFL news here

Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady is set to join the booth when he decides to hang up the cleats and call it quits on his NFL career.

That career spans two decades, and after changing his mind about retirement this offseason, there’s no telling how long he’ll keep going.

When that time does inevitably come, though, he’s got a nice plan to fall back on. The passer inked a massive deal with Fox Sports to become a part of their broadcast team for NFL contests.

The going price that deal? A cool $375 million.

While Brady is one of the biggest personas in professional football history, one former ESPN executive believes that Fox is paying too much for what they’re getting.

John Skipper criticizes Tom Brady’s Fox deal

Former ESPN president John Skipper was critical of Brady’s huge deal over the weekend, saying that the money would’ve been better spent in other areas. Take a look.

“There’s very little economic value. He’s a very, very, very expensive trophy.”

Instead, Skipper believes that Fox could’ve used the money to purchase broadcast rights or hire more staff.

“Seriously, for $375 million, you could have bought some live event rights, which would actually make a significant difference. It does not make significant difference other than pride and ambassadorship to put somebody in the booth for $37.5 million dollars [per year].”

We’ve seen former players getting into the broadcast industry a lot of late. Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tony Romo are just a few to have made the switch. They’re able to bring experience and knowledge of the game to viewers, giving fans a different perspective when watching matchups unfold. Still, nearly $400 million is a lot to give.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Brady’s presence in the booth pays dividends for Fox’s NFL broadcasts.