On Tuesday, as part of the announcement that Tom Brady’s companies will be merging with another company, Brady did a media tour.
Appearing on Front Office Sports Today, Brady was asked this question: “I know you’re interested in NFL team ownership at some point. What draws you to that, and where do things stand on that front?”
By way of background, Brady has had a deal in place for roughly a year to buy a piece of the Raiders. The NFL’s owners have been reluctant to approve the deal for a variety of reasons, including the fact that Raiders owner Mark Davis has offered Brady a major discount for roughly five to 10 percent of the team.
So what draws you to that, Tom, and where do things stand?
Brady answered the first part, and his answer went on long enough that he never had to get to the second.
“I love sports, and I love how it brings our community together,” Brady said. “I saw what happened — when I grew up in the Bay Area and the 49ers were incredibly successful, it changed how we all thought about football in the Bay Area growing up. And then I went to Michigan, and I was part of a great culture and environment there that the entire city would come together on Saturdays to watch Michigan football. And obviously the success we had in New England, and we had success in Tampa and we had parades and other athletes came out to support us and kids were wearing jerseys. And I think sports can just — it cuts through so much. Sports brings together people of every age, race, religion, culture, socioeconomic background. You know, it’s something to root for and cheer for. And I love being a part of sports because it’s so real and in the moment. We’re all so authentic to what we’re doing. And when we win it’s amazing, when we lose, man, it sucks. But you’ve got to deal with those adversities to help you build that resilience and grit.”
And that was that. It was nearly as deft as when he was asked about 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s on-the-record claim that coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers wanted to sign Brady for 2023, and never really answered the question.
Maybe Brady should be a politician, not a broadcaster. He has already mastered the art of answering a question without actually answering it.
That would have come in handy nine years ago.
