It took less than three months from Tom Brady being approved as part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders before a potential conflict of interest arose regarding his dual role as the top game analyst at Fox. While sports media analysts, Fox executives, and NFL insiders ponder over Brady’s conflicts, especially when calling a game featuring his preferred head coaching candidate, Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk dismissed the criticisms as heading into the NFL divisional round.
On Saturday, Brady will be in Detroit to call the Lions-Commanders game while the Raiders pursue Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Although a top Fox exec dismissed claims that Brady’s affection for Johnson could taint his analysis, many believe that Brady’s simultaneous roles might be untenable in the long run. Discussing the situation on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday after Brady’s agent mentioned he would be back at Fox next season, Hawk deemed the backlash to Brady’s unique role as “overblown.”
“I have no issue with Tom being an owner and being in the booth. I don’t understand why he has people thinking he cannot do both,” Hawk questioned. “Do they think his workload is too much? Like Tom Brady, who played in the NFL forever and has won so many Super Bowls, the guy can’t handle it? No, the season’s five or six months long when he’s in the booth. I don’t really understand. I don’t get caught up, I guess, in the drama of whether he’s going to get inside information when he’s broadcasting or when he’s talking to people. OK, good luck. He’s going to be fine. I think it’s way overblown when they think the advantage that Tom could possibly gain from being in the booth or talking to these guys.”
Tom Brady is staying in the broadcast booth#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/agRKMHDaUY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2025
Earlier this week, Hawk and McAfee pressed ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on how closely Brady was collaborating with the Raiders to replace head coach Antonio Pierce and GM Tom Telesco. When Schefter denied Brady was overstepping, Hawk and McAfee suggested that Schefter might be too close to the situation as a fellow Michigan alum. However, when it was Hawk’s turn to weigh in, he seemed to concur with Schefter, asserting that Brady would handle the situation professionally.
In contrast, McAfee gave some credence to the idea of conflict. Though he stated he personally has no issue with Brady calling the game, he recognizes why fans or rival executives might be concerned about Brady’s proximity to the Raiders.
“I like Tom Brady being around the game, personally. I like Tom Brady having a voice in the game,” McAfee stated. “That’s the greatest of all time, so the more we hear from him, the better. I appreciate him. But I think those who see it as a conflict will only find more reasons to be upset about Tom Brady being both an owner and the lead voice in commentary.”
Brady as a broadcaster is arguably even more polarizing than he was as a quarterback. With his lucrative Fox contract and uneven performance in the booth this season, opinions about him are diverse. While it may not come as a surprise that fellow players who’ve competed against Brady would support him, McAfee and Hawk’s remarks carry weight given their substantial platforms.
