In what feels like a preview of the influencer media problems of tomorrow, Touchdown Tom is now both the lead analyst for Fox and a part-owner of the Raiders. He’s still allowed to call Raider games for some reason, but part of the NFL’s overall solution to the obvious conflict of interest issues is to bar Brady from criticizing officiating during games. The Athletic asked a number of sports TV producers for their read on it:
The producers also noted something interesting: You will have people actively listening specifically for whether Brady says something critical about another franchise or officials. The converse, too. People will evaluate whether he is intentionally avoiding what is in front of him. That’s a mess for everyone.
“You have to at least know you have the freedom to share your opinion about officiating,” said a veteran NFL broadcaster who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “These are split-second decisions on air. You can’t ponder whether the league will be happy.”
Brady calling Chiefs / 49ers this afternoon; we’ll see how he handles it.
