Tom Brady claims that his dual roles as Fox broadcaster and part-owner of the Raiders is not a conflict of interest. In a blog post Wednesday, he said those who believe otherwise are “distrustful and paranoid.”
Questions about Brady’s obligations came into focus last week after he was shown sitting in the Raiders’ coaching box on “Monday Night Football.” Sunday, he called the Bears game for Fox, which entitled him to meet with Bears coaches and players virtually to gather information. His Raiders are the Bears’ opponent this week.
“When you live through uncertain and untrusting times, like we are today, it is very easy to watch a person’s passions and profession intersect, and to believe you’re looking at some sort of dilemma,” he wrote in his own newsletter, which posted Wednesday. “Because when you’re blinded by distrust, it’s hard to see anything other than self-interest.”
Bears head coach Ben Johnson said he wouldn’t give away any “trade secrets” but didn’t have any problem with the arrangement. Per NFL rules, Brady is not allowed to visit team facilities and must conduct interviews virtually. In the hours before Sunday’s game, though, he walked around the Soldier Field turf, interacting with Bears and Cowboys players.
“I love football,” Brady wrote. “At its core, it is a game of principles. And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles in it intersect is not actually a point of conflict, despite what the paranoid and distrustful might believe. Rather, it’s the place from which my ethical duty emerges: to grow, evolve, and improve the game that has given me everything.”
The league has defended the roles of the former seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.
“As a broadcaster, I want everyone who tunes into Fox on Sunday afternoons to feel like they got their money’s worth for the three hours they entrust to our entire team. …” Brady wrote. “As a limited partner in the Raiders, I want the Silver & Black to return to the glory of those amazing years under Al Davis and John Madden.”