When Tom Brady left his playing days behind him, many wondered what the next step would be for someone who spent half their life as an NFL quarterback. It was fair to assume he’d stay involved in football in some capacity. On September 8th 2024, he would begin that next chapter, making his broadcasting debut for FOX sports as their color commentator alongside play by play announcer Kevin Burkhardt. Brady would broadcast 18 games in the 2024 season and is scheduled for another 21 this year. That’s great and all, but about one month after his debut, he’d begin his next step. On October 15th 2024, he’d be officially approved as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Again, good for Brady, he’s getting involved in the sport that made him a household name. But some fans are noticing something fishy about the way Brady is allowed to do both. The NFL put some restrictions on Brady at first. Initially he wasn’t allowed any access to team facilities, couldn’t attend practice, and wasn’t allowed to go to pre game production meetings. The league since then has relaxed on some of these rules, now allowing Brady virtual access to pre game production meetings with coaches and players.

There’s already an interesting precedent there, no owner has ever had access like that before, so naturally fans are wondering if this is an unfair advantage. This topic was especially popular following the Raiders week 2 matchup vs the Chargers, during which Brady can be seen in the coaches box, with a headset on. It’s also been reported that Brady and Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly speak at least 2-3 times a week to go over film and gameplan.

What makes this especially fishy is the fact that Brady is broadcasting games involving teams the Raiders see on the schedule this year. Brady was on call for the Washington Commanders week 1 matchup with the Giants, now guess who the Raiders face in week 3…. the Washington Commanders. Now it’d make sense that opposing coaches are especially cautious when talking in pre game production meetings knowing Brady is a minority owner, but there’s certainly some advantages that come from being behind the scenes as a broadcaster.

Does it really make a difference? Does this become another Tom Brady cheating scandal? We will have to wait and see but it’s no surprise that this has very quickly become the talk of the town in the NFL.