Tom Brady apparently is closer to becoming a minority owner of the Raiders, even if it’s still not clear how the league will navigate the inherent conflict of interest arising from his role with the Raiders and the access he would get as a broadcast at Fox.
On Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that ownership has addressed the access issue. We asked the league how the issue was addressed. The response: “We are not going to get into specifics at this time.”
However it plays out, it’s clear that progress is being made toward the deal being approved. Consider these comments by owner Mark Davis to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, from the two days of the Nashville meetings.
“It’s alive, but I’m not going to comment any more,” Davis told Bell on Tuesday. “I’m going to leave it at that for now.”
On Wednesday, Davis reportedly “beamed” when providing more comment: “There may be some progress,” Davis said.
If Brady has any special access to any future Raiders opponent, that’s a problem. Anything he picks up, he’ll be expected to share with the Raiders.
That’s what a conflict of interest is. Even if everyone involved is fine with it, it’s still a matter of perception.
The easy fix would be for Brady to pick a lane. He seems to be determined to try to have it both ways. The league seems to be determined to let him. Maybe we’ll eventually find out what Brady can and can’t do when broadcasting games for Fox and serving as a partial owner of the Raiders.