Tom Brady and Raiders owner Mark Davis are meeting to discuss Brady’s role as an owner partner for Las Vegas, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- Davis was looking for a limited partner and held discussions with Magic Johnson a year ago. Johnson eventually became part of the Commanders’ new ownership group.
- Brady has previously acquired stakes in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and an MLP’s pickleball expansion team. Davis is also the main owner of the Aces.
- Brady retired in February after a historic 23-year career in which he won seven Super Bowls.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What would that mean for his broadcasting future?
Sports television networks have long assumed that their channels cannot own teams. The question is usually about the visuals: do you feel comfortable when your station calls up matches or talks about said team? Usually the answer is yes.
In the case of Brady, Fox has approved the procurement-based agreement, ESPN reported. That tracks historically with all networks. For example, if you’re a tennis fan, you’ve long seen broadcasters analyzing matches while actively coaching other players on tour. When Brady actually lands in the broadcast booth in 2024, he will be the highest-paid and most famous frontline employee at Fox Sports. The company will not fail this solely because of an apparent conflict of interest.
My rule of thumb that you don’t have to follow is that when someone has a financial interest in something, you should exercise caution, not necessarily with what they say, but with what they don’t say. If Brady gets a part of the Raiders, I’ll disregard everything he says about the franchise outside of game analysis. But whether it will be a problem for Fox, not a chance. — German
backstory
Along with the Aces and future Pickleball team, Brady has been associated with the NFL. In 2022, after his initial retirement, there were multiple reports that Brady was in talks with the Miami Dolphins to become a minority owner.
The Dolphins were later sanctioned by the NFL for improper contact with Brady, who was still under contract with the Buccaneers. They lost the club’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brady reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal shortly after retiring to join Fox as a broadcaster.
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