Tom Brady was sitting in the press box as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders staff Monday night, which could be a huge issue for the FOX Sports broadcaster — especially after Chip Kelly’s recent testimony about Brady’s influence.
But Raiders coach Pete Carroll walked back Kelly’s reported comments, which opened the door potentially for a conflict of interest between the Raiders minority owner and NFL over his role with the team while also serving as the ‘A’ booth commentator for FOX.
Brady, of course, is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and sure-fire future Hall of Famer. He purchased a minority 5 percent stake in the Raiders last October, despite also starting as the lead analyst, alongside Kevin Burkhardt for FOX. Brady called Super Bowl LIX for FOX in February.
What Did Pete Carroll Say About Tom Brady’s Involvement in Game Planning?
The NFL initially put rules in place to restrict him Brady from having access to opposing teams in his role as FOX analyst. But the league relaxed those rules after Brady seemed to abide by them in Year 1 of wearing both hats.
Yet, there was Brady sitting the Raiders’ coaches box in the second half with binoculars during their 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Plus, ESPN’s Peter Schrager reported from the sideline that Brady and Kelly talk “two-to-three times per week” and that they “go through the film, go through the game plan and Brady is a luxury for the coaches.”
Then three-person booth of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick reported on conversations that Kelly told them he “uses Brady as a resource every single week.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Riddick said.
Yet, when asked about those reported interactions after the game, Carroll distanced himself from Kelly’s remarks.
“We have conversations,” Carroll said, according to ESPN.com. “I talk to Tom; Chip talks to Tom regularly. We have a tremendous asset, and we all get along and respect each other. We just talk about life and football. He has great insight, so we’re lucky to have him as an owner.”
Are The Raiders Going To Be Punished For Tom Brady’s Involvement?
The Brady-Raiders revelations was a bad look for the league, especially since Brady has a history of flouting NFL rules — notably, he served a four-game suspension for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal, and he and the New England Patriots were also penalized for their role in the 2000s Spygate controversy.
But according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo! Sports, the Raiders will not be penalized for Brady wearing a headset and participating in the team’s game Monday.
“There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches’ booth and wearing a headset during a game,” the NFL told Yahoo! Sports in a statement. “Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner.”
Though Brady can’t unknow things — and he is slated to call the Chicago Bears game against the Dallas Cowboys just a week before the Bears to go to Vegas to visit the Raiders — the NFL reinforced its rules about Brady’s involvement wearing both hats.
“Tom continues to be prohibited to go to a team facility for practices or production meetings. He may attend production meetings remotely … [and] conduct interviews off site,” the NFL said in its statement. “Of course as with any production meeting with broadcast teams, it’s up to the club, coach and players to determine what they say in those meetings.”
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