Tom Brady – – Owner/Broadcaster

In an earlier rant, I mentioned that the NFL owners approved Tom Brady as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.  Even before that commentary, I said that I did not think Brady would be a great broadcaster for FOX because he never seemed at ease or in a comfort zone with a microphone in his face.  However, it seems to me that because he is now a minority owner and subject to the rules and regulations that apply to owners of all sorts in the NFL, he is disadvantaged if he tries very hard to become a great color commentator.

Let me explain.  The color analyst who is most similar to Tom Brady would be Troy Aikman; both have multiple Super Bowl victories as part of their curriculum vitae; both owned “celebrity status” on and off the field in their playing days.  So, why does Brady’s part ownership of the Raiders present a barrier that he will need to overcome if Brady is to become as good as Aikman is in the role of “lead color analyst for a network”?

Well, as an owner and simultaneously as a TV color analyst, the potential for “conflict of interest” perceptions abounds.  Note, I said “perceptions” which means that they can exist when in reality there is no substantive conflict of interest.  Let me start with the words of Mark Davis – – Raiders’ majority owner – – as Brady’s purchase was approved by the rest of the NFL owners.  Davis said this proximal to the time the Raiders traded Davante Adams to the Jets:

“We traded Davante Adams for Tom Brady and a third-round draft pick.  Although Tom can’t play, he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him as well. So, it’s a huge benefit for the organization.”

Maybe it is a huge benefit or maybe not; time will tell on this front.  However, can Brady pretend to be an objective observer and a neutral interpreter of the facts when he is a color commentator who is also helping the Raiders to select and train a future QB?  In case you think I am just being a nit-picking old crabby guy, let me point out several other problems.  As a part owner of an NFL team, Tom Brady is subject to a variety of rules and regulations that apply to all owners of NFL teams no matter what proportion of a team they may own – – and no matter how many Super Bowl rings they earned during an NFL career:

• Brady cannot be present to observe practice sessions for teams other than the Raiders.  If there are prohibitions against “spying” on opponents’ practices, then having a team owner with Brady’s understanding of the game as an observer would surely run afoul of any such regulations.
• If I understand the league’s bylaws correctly – – and I admit that I may be off base here – – Brady as an owner may not be allowed to be in a rival team’s facility except for the time of the game itself.  If I am correct, that would keep him away from places where he might interact with coaches and players to gather “tidbits” for the telecast.
• Perhaps I am being too harsh in evaluating Brady’s access limitations here.  However, we know from reporting by various announcing crews that the announcers and the production folks meet with coaches and perhaps players prior to the game and the telecast.  Someone like Troy Aikman might – – I said might – – be viewed as a “Cowboy Guy” even after he has been separated from that organization for almost 25 years.  Tom Brady is a current and future owner of the Raiders with a personal stake in the success of the Raiders’ franchise.  So, if the league were to find justification for Brady to be in meetings with coaches and players prior to gametimes, that would open the NFL up to a wide variety of conspiracy theorists who might have a field-day with such happenings.
• Now, if you think I have gone over the top here, consider that NFL owners are not permitted to tamper with players under contract to rival teams.  Each and every player in each and every game that Tom Brady does as a color commentator is under contract to a rival team – – unless one of the teams in the game is the Raiders.  Hmmm …
• As an NFL owner, he is not supposed to criticize officiating and officials in NFL games.  Excuse me; color analysts who only say that the officials made a great call on every “bang-bang play” are going to be seen as “house-guys” very quickly.  Brady will agree with refs sometimes and disagree with them other times; he must have the latitude to say so as things happen.
• As an NFL owner, he is not supposed to criticize owners of other teams or officials of other teams or coaches of other teams.  So, explain to me how Tom Brady is supposed to do color analysis for any game this season involving teams like the Panthers or the Browns or the Jets.

I am on record saying that I do not think Tom Brady will be a great color commentator under any circumstances and I stand by that assessment until I am proven wrong by public acclimation.  What I have tried to point out here is that it will be doubly difficult for Brady to become a great color commentator given the restrictions that have to be put on his access and his commentary by dint of his being a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Finally, I’ll close today with words from Al Davis – – Mark Davis’ father – – whose suspicions about other teams’ nefarious intentions were myriad:

“Why should I talk to you? I don’t know where you’re from.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………