NFL on FOX analyst Greg Olsen wasn’t stunned by Raiders minority owner Tom Brady being spotted in the team’s coaching booth Monday night during the first quarter of Las Vegas’ 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The sight however raised questions about his role balancing ownership and broadcasting duties.
Brady, wearing a headset during the telecast, has served as a resource for the Raiders since being approved as a minority owner last year, according to multiple team coaches. His appearance in the booth marked the first time he was publicly seen in that capacity.
Olsen discussed Brady’s dual role Tuesday at a Front Office Sports event. Emphasizing the value teams can gain from his experience.
“If I’m the Raiders, and I have a minority owner like Tom Brady, who I have access to, with 20-plus years of top-level experience. You’d be silly not to pick his brain,” Olsen said. “Why would you not utilize every resource and every aspect of your organization to try to find that slight margin to be the difference between winning and losing a game?”
Brady is also an NFL broadcaster for FOX Sports. This season, the league has eased some restrictions on his broadcast duties, allowing him to join production meetings remotely. These meetings, where broadcast crews confer with a game’s head coaches and key players, are now open to Brady. Though he is still barred from attending team practices.
Olsen noted that teams retain discretion over what is discussed in these meetings.
“There are some teams that are very guarded with their information. It doesn’t matter if you’re an owner of another team or not,” Olsen said. “The vast majority of coaches, especially the ones you develop a good relationship with, are amazing on these calls. They really give you great insight that does make a difference.”
Social media reacted strongly Monday night to the broadcast shot of Brady, with some questioning potential conflicts between his Raiders investment and his FOX role. Olsen stressed that teams themselves determine the scope of information shared during production meetings.
“How these teams handle their own personal meetings, that’s up to them,” Olsen said. “They have to make decisions on how they want to handle their production meetings… Every team can decide how they want to handle those and whatever factors they place value on.”
Brady retired after a 23-year career and debuted on FOX last season under a 10-year, $375 million contract originally agreed to in 2022. Limitations were placed on him due to his partial ownership of the Raiders, a deal approved by NFL owners in October.
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