Popular Host Calls Out Tom Brady For ‘Problematic, Crazy’ Setup

Tom Brady isn’t your typical NFL broadcaster.

For starters, no one else in the field has a football résumé nor a long-term contract that compares to the legendary quarterback’s. Brady also plays by a vastly different set of rules than his colleagues in the broadcast booth.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s access and objectivity were significantly compromised upon landing a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. Among other limitations, Brady can’t attend production meetings with players and coaches and is not allowed to openly criticize officials on air.

The balancing act doesn’t make any sense to Dan Patrick, who criticized Brady’s conflict of interest Tuesday.

“It’s problematic with Tom trying to do both of these things,” Patrick said on his self-titled show, as transcribed by the New York Post. “And it’s not something you normally focus on because do trust that the analysts — they go to practice, they get a lot of inside information — some coaches more forthcoming, some quarterback more forthcoming. But you need to have your announcer know what’s going on.

“Now, can he get that information? Yes. But if you said, Tom Brady got to go into the locker room and say to Patrick Mahomes, ‘I’m curious about this,’ chances are, Mahomes is going to tell Tom that. But he’s not allowed to exchange information or get information because he works for the Raiders. Crazy. Problematic.”

Patrick’s take was more than fair, but we shouldn’t be surprised by Brady’s double-dipping. The NFL will always tweak the rules for people who bring enough attention and money to the league.