Even when he's not a player anymore, Tom Brady can't help but find himself being scrutinized. Now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady is being called out for a supposed conflict of interest. The former star quarterback is part of FOX's commentary crew, which theoretically could allow him to get insider info he could pass on to the Raiders' coaching staff.
Brady has since spoken out against these accusations in a scathing defense of himself. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also chimed in on the discussion. Goodell said that teams are not required to disclose anything to Brady if they feel there's a conflict of interest.
“Teams have the right to say whatever they want to. They don’t have to disclose any information if they think it’s a conflict of interest,” Goodell told Alex Sherman of CNBC. “Teams don’t need to say anything. Sometimes they don’t say anything to somebody who’s not [a minority owner]. We get a lot of former players that are in [broadcast meetings] that are close to their former teams. I think our teams are pretty smart about saying, ‘I’m not sharing something with him.’”
As part of the commentary crew, Brady can participate in broadcast meetings remotely. There's a lot of information discussed in these production meetings, including information about the teams they're about to play. In theory, Brady could use this information to the Raiders' advantage. It could give them an edge that no team in the NFL could have.
Based on the league's actions (adjusting the rules to allow Brady to have both roles) and Goodell's statement, it seems unlikely that the NFL will do anything regarding this issue. The Raiders owner will continue to straddle both roles as an investor in the team and a commentator for NFL games.
