As currently written (if they’ve even been reduced to writing), the so-called (by me) Brady Broadcast Rules might be more of a favor than a hindrance to Brady.
That might change.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reports that the rules could be expanding. The impetus apparently was Tom Brady’s sit-down interview from last month with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The session seemed to violate the spirit, even if not the letter, of the current restrictions on Brady’s activities with Fox, given his separate role as minority owner of the Raiders.
Per Fischer, owners will be asked whether they object to such interviews, and whether more conditions need to be attached in order to ensure Brady isn’t getting access he shouldn’t have.
Brady currently is prevented from attending practices, participating in production meetings, or entering team facilities. (During the Week 9 Lions-Packers game, Brady made reference to attending a production meeting. The teams told PFT that Brady did not participate in meetings with their players or coaches. Brady apparently was referring to the Fox-only production meeting, held the night before the game.)
The new restrictions could include the following, according to Fischer: (1) "[l]imiting Brady’s interaction with players to live or recorded interviews for broadcast only, to ensure the content of their conversations is known publicly, and prohibiting private one-on-one interactions before or after the broadcast component"; (2) "[r]equiring these kinds of interviews to only happen outside of team facilities, and possibly even away from team hotels"; and (3) [r]equiring prior approval and monitoring by the league and the players’ team to ensure the interview is within the rules.”
Some in league circles believe Brady is fine with the current restrictions because they provide an artificial limit to his pre-game workload. Can’t fly to town early to go to practice? That’s unfortunate. Can’t carve out multiple hours to participate in meetings with quarterbacks and coaches? That’s a shame.
That’s not just random speculation. Efforts by at least one team to waive the ban on Brady participating in the production meeting went nowhere, with a flat refusal from the league and a sense that Fox/Brady weren’t particularly interested in pushing back.
At the core of this quandary is the question of whether Brady should want to be an owner and a broadcaster. It’s impossible for him to do both to the best of his ability.
While the owners aren’t inclined to push their cool friend too hard, possibly for fear of being told to “step off,” Brady at some point will get the message they’ve been trying to send.
Pick a lane, Tommy. Pick a lane.
