Could Tom Brady’s possible ownership of Las Vegas Raiders affect what games he can call for FOX?
Though there were concerns as to how his foray into franchise ownership would affect his new job, they appeared to have been squashed by the NFL itself.
Tom Brady has done quite a bit since bringing his playing career to an end for a second time. Indeed, not only has he embarked on a number of business ventures, not the least of which is part ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he also got himself a job in broadcasting, one that’s about to begin.
Tom Brady has been given the green light by Fox
As you know by now, Tom Brady is set to be a color commentator for Fox this coming season. You will also know that he is currently awaiting the approval of his bid to purchase a percentage of the Las Vegas Raiders. Those two points are of course important to note because there was and still is the real fair that they could create a conflict of interest. After all, is it truly possible to have an owner of a team in the booth calling games of teams in the said same league?
Whether it is or isn’t doesn’t seem to matter at the moment as noted by NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder who clarified where things stand at present. “Right now, Tom’s not an owner of the Raiders, and as we go into this year, Tom’s able to call any game on the schedule,” Schroeder said. What’s interesting to note here is that Schroeder’s comments don’t outrightly dismiss the idea that if/when Brady becomes an owner he could be limited in terms of what games he’s allowed to call. One has to imagine that any rival of the Raiders in the AFC West will be hesitant to allow Brady to have access when the teams have to face each other.
Where specifics are concerned, we know that Brady will call his first game in Week 1 at 4:25 p.m. ET when the Dallas Cowboys head to Cleveland to face the Browns. We also know that Raiders owner Mark Davis gave his blessing to Brady becoming a majority owner last May. While the process has taken some time, one has to consider that it requires the approval of both the NFL and a three-fourths majority among team owners. That said, we should draw attention to one of our previous reports, in which we covered the notion that part of the delay is down to the idea that the price Brady was asked to pay for a 5-10% stake was too low. Incidentally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently gave an update at the annual league meetings. “...wouldn’t say it’s a delay,” he said. “We go through a very thorough process on all initial transfers, so we’re just going through that process. We’ve been in touch with their side and the Raiders. I think it’s making progress.” Watch this space.