The extreme access restrictions placed immediately on would-be Raiders owner Tom Brady as a Fox broadcaster weren’t a punishment. They were a message.
The league’s unambiguous and unequivocal declaration that Brady can’t enter team facilities, attend practices, or participate in production meetings is a harbinger. If/when it’s ever time to vote on his bid to buy (along with Hall of Famer Richard Seymour and their mutual partners) 10.4 percent of the Raiders, at least nine owners will say no.
Why wouldn’t they? The restrictions they’ve placed on Brady undermine the biggest Fox broadcast of the week. And the NFL has a vested interest in ensuring that the broadcasts are as good as they can be. During the recent Sunday Ticket trial, Commissioner Roger Goodell explained that the NFL got out of the Thursday Night Football business because the league couldn’t produce and televise games up to the league’s standards.
Could Brady pull it off to the NFL’s standards without access? Maybe. Still, however he performs without access, he would have been better with it.
By imposing the restrictions on Brady, the league wants him to make the right decision on his own. If he doesn’t, they’ll eventually do it for him.
Again, it only takes nine. If 32 owners are willing to make it dramatically harder for Fox and Brady to produce a high-quality broadcast every week, at least nine of them will be willing to eliminate the issue entirely by preventing Brady from joining Club Oligarch.