Whatever Tommy wants, Tommy gets. With at least one exception.
Tom Brady no longer has a vote for the various Associated Press NFL awards.
He shouldn’t have had a vote in 2024. He’s an owner of the Raiders. It’s another example of the clear and irreconcilable conflict of interest flowing from his insistence on working as a member of the media covering the entire league while owning part of one of its teams.
The AP defended Brady’s voting privileges in December 2024 with a broad statement that glossed over his ownership of the Raiders. “As a credentialed media member who covers the NFL regularly, Tom Brady meets the requirement to vote for the AP NFL awards,” the AP said at the time. “We are confident that the integrity of the voting process will be respected by all voters.”
Under that standard, Brady should still have a vote. (The more accurate explanation, we believe, is that the AP simply missed the fact that Brady’s ownership stake became official during the 2024 season.)
Other voters from the 2024 panel who did not return to the 2025 panel include: Kay Adams, Tom Curran, Mike Jones, John McMullen, Gary Myers, Laura Okmin, Nick Pavlatos, Nora Princiotti, Lorenzo Reyes, and Mike Tirico.
There’s turnover in the panel every year, for various reasons. Again, it’s an unpaid gig. Even though the NFL pays the AP to provide the official awards that become part of the NFL Honors ceremony.
