Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
Tom Brady’s transition to his post-playing days is fully underway. He’s in the midst of his first season in the booth for FOX alongside Kevin Burkhardt, and he’s also trying to purchase a small stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.
But, not everyone is enthused with the possibility that Tom Brady could own part of a team while also working in the booth due to obvious conflicts of interests. One Wednesday, Pro Football Talk publisher and leading NFL media voice Mike Florio came out against Brady’s ownership share being approved.
Brady is set to buy 10% of the Las Vegas Raiders, whose principal owner is Mark Davis. The stake is expected to be based on a whopping $6.7 billion valuation, costing Brady about $670 million. That’s a significant chunk of change!
But, there are clear conflicts of interests if Brady is going to be an analyst and an owner. Most of the time, television booths will attend practices or walkthroughs of the teams they are set to call that weekkend. That helps them be more prepared and informed in the booth, and allows them to provide good tidbits of insight.
But, currently, with Brady’s ownership stake in the process of being approved, he’s not allowed to attend team practices due to his pending affiliation with the Raiders. That would continue if his ownership stake went through, and would hurt his work as an analyst.
With his ownership stake up for an approval vote next week, Tom Brady could be an official minority owner soon. But, Florio thinks he should be voted down by the voters.
Still, Brady needs 24 votes. It only takes nine owners to kill the deal. And given the league’s placement of significant restrictions on Brady’s ability to meet with teams and attend practices prior to his Fox broadcasts, it’s obvious that more than a few owners have concerns about the conflict of interest associated with Brady owning part of one team and covering all of them.
The conflict of interest is clear. Brady can’t do his best job for Fox while also fulfilling his duties to the Raiders to the best of his ability. Frankly, Brady shouldn’t want to do both. Frankly, at least nine owners should politely but decisively keep it from happening.
But, alas, that’s life in post-norms America, where things that used to matter no longer do. When someone with enough money, power, and/or fame wants something badly enough, they get it.
Even if they shouldn’t get it. Even if they shouldn’t want it.
Will he be voted down? Honestly, probably not. Given the fact that it’s being put on the agenda for a vote, they likely know they have the votes to make Tom Brady a part owner of the Raiders.