Tom Brady's new ownership role comes with severe restrictions

As CNN and others have reported, legendary quarterback Tom Brady has officially become part of the ownership group of the Las Vegas Raiders. He purchased a minority stake in the team.

While this has been a dream come true for Brady, this acceptance into the ownership ranks comes with notable limitations for the other career he has pursued after his playing days.

Due to his role as a part-owner of the Raiders, Brady's access level as a broadcaster with FOX Sports has been significantly curtailed.

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As the Daily Mail wrote, perhaps the biggest impediment Brady now has to face as a broadcaster is that he is prohibited from entering the facility of any team except for the Raiders. He is also not allowed to watch practices of other teams.

The Daily Mail also interestingly writes that Brady is not allowed to be in broadcast production meetings for Fox before games, which would in theory reveal secrets and information about opposing franchises.

Brady is now also subject to following the league's rules regarding gambling for NFL employees, as well as tampering rules that could lead players on other teams to join Las Vegas.

Additionally, Brady also cannot publicly criticize NFL officials or other NFL teams.

It can be argued that this would greatly hinder Brady's ability to deliver background insights on television.

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Current ESPN analyst and former NFL player Ryan Clark thinks this could damage Brady's credibility on TV. Clark told The Pivot podcast, “There is so much that goes into this that I think it is going to taint the perception of who he is when he is doing his job.”

Most NFL fans agreed that Greg Olsen has become one of the best color analysts in the NFL over the past few seasons, as his chemistry with Kevin Burkhardt was evident. But Fox Sports threw a huge bag of cash in Tom Brady's direction as a major bet that he would become one of the best at his new profession. Brady's addition drove changes for Olsen as the 2024 NFL season drew nearer.

Greg Olsen played 14 seasons in the NFL as a tight end for the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks. Football Reference displays his career statistics of 742 catches and 60 touchdowns. However, he’s been an asset covering NFL games, winning a Sports Emmy in 2024, according to CT Post’s website.

However, Olsen’s window as the lead color analyst was always going to be a temporary one. He told The Athletic, “We’ve been planning that for two years. We knew when we took the job that Brady was there whenever he was going to decide to come.”

Olsen could have chosen to feel spurned and not help his replacement, but he’s been more than willing to assist Brady with his new career path. Olsen told USA Today, “I was happy to share that with some of him. Everyone thinks it’s easy until you do it.”

However, Brady’s arrival meant that Olsen’s earnings at Fox took a noticeable hit.

Since Olsen was technically being demoted to the number two broadcast team at Fox Sports, he is losing a whopping $7 million per season, according to NBC Sports. He was earning $10 million per year as the lead analyst, and is set to earn $3 million on the second team.

Olsen told The New York Times, “I knew what I was signing up for. I’ve always said I’m a big boy.”

Olsen’s Emmy award-winning performances have made it difficult for Brady in a certain light. The Daily Mail commented that Brady doesn’t have much of a choice but to step in and excel at his new role, given the level of proficiency Olsen did the job with.

Fox Sports signed Tom Brady to a whopping 10-year, $375 million contract before he retired from the NFL, in order to secure his services on television.

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According to Fox Sports' website, Brady kept notes from every NFL game he played, and will use them in his new role as lead analyst.

As an NFL player, Brady thrived on being better than the players who lined up across the line of scrimmage. While there’s still an element of being the top broadcast in the sport, Brady is viewing this new challenge a bit differently, as he told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd.

Brady told Cowherd, “I think for me, it’s about whether I put everything I could into it? Did I give the fans everything that they tuned in for? That’s really how I’ll end up gauging myself.”

Brady will be working with Erin Andrews, who is the on-field reporter for NFL games on Fox. She told Marca’s website, “His resume supports that he is great at everything he does, so why would this be any different?”

Yahoo Sports reported that former Fox Sports play by play announcer Joe Buck wants to make sure that Brady has a smooth transition into the booth. Buck, who now works for ESPN, told Yahoo, “He’s talked to intermediaries about maybe getting with me and having me help him, which I’m totally open to doing and would love to do.”

However, there are also some high profile members of the media who don’t think Brady will do all that well in his new job. Legendary sports radio host Mike Francesa told Mail Online, “I don’t think his heart is in it. I don’t think his personality is as such. I don’t think he’s going to be great at it, I really don’t.”

The former NFL tight end told The Athletic, “My end goal is to call premier games at the top of the ladder and that pursuit won’t change regardless of what happens this next year with my current role.”

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