Tom Brady has been deemed as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. He has this new role while maintaining his position as NFL analyst for Fox Sports. It's a dual role that is fraught with peril, and former Browns and Raiders executive Mike Lombardi does not understand how Brady can do both jobs fairly.
Lombardi was on the Bill Simmons Podcast and discussed Brady's positions, and he tried to make his point by saying the seven-time Super Bowl champion might stand over Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, observe a Raiders practice and have a conversation.
“I think that the interesting thing is how much influence he’s (Tom Brady) going to have in Las Vegas because he should have some,” Lombardi said. “I would love to watch him, stand next to him at the first practice watching Antonio Pierce lead the Raiders and seeing that program. He’s going to be like ‘Oh my God I just signed up for this.' ”
At this point, Brady's role with the Raiders has not been determined. This is also his first year of serving as the No. 1 game analyst for Fox, but he is not going to be able to go to meetings with NFL coaches and inside team facilities because of his ownership stake with the Raiders.
Brady has been questioned about his dual role
There are legitimate questions that Brady faces about having two roles that are seemingly in conflict with each other.
Richard Deitsch, perhaps the most respected sports TV columnist in the media, pointed out in a column he wrote for The Athletic that being critical of officials is something that Brady is not allowed to do because of his ownership status.
If Brady criticizes officials, he could be fined by the league or potentially suspended. The inability to go into team facilities or attend production meetings could also be an issue because Brady may not have up to date information about the teams he is analyzing. It is conceivable that well-read fans may know more about position battles or injury status than Brady while he's broadcasting a game.
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That's not necessarily a fatal flaw because Brady can look at the game as an analyst and offer valid criticisms — particularly about quarterback play — and provide insight.
But if he ventures into analyzing and criticizing the officials' work in any of the games, he will be subject to getting himself into trouble. On the other hand, if there are obvious bad calls or even questionable decisions made by officials, he will not be doing his job as an analyst if he stays silent on the matter.
Serving as a broadcast analyst may not be a long-term job for Brady.
