Tom Brady played in 10 Super Bowls, winning seven of those over his years with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So it should not be a surprise that his first year as an analyst for FOX Sports ends with him at the big game, as he will be on the call alongside Kevin Burkhardt for Super Bowl LIX.
Brady’s first season in the booth has been a rather tumultuous one, as the legendary player sought to balance life as an analyst along with his other various roles. One of the game’s greatest quarterbacks has not decided to simply head to the golf course or off to a private island somewhere. Rather, Brady has leaned into several ventures since hanging up the cleats, including sports ownership. Brady acquired an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Aces, one of the leading WNBA franchises, and also owns a small stake in Birmingham City F.C.
Many believed that Brady would make a seamless transition to the booth, with his legendary work ethic and drive to succeed pushing him to be the best version of himself calling games for FOX Sports. For full disclosure, this author was among those who believed Brady in the booth would be a resounding success. But his debut season has been rocky at best, with Brady falling short of those lofty expectations, especially when compared with Greg Olsen, the former tight end who Brady replaced on the lead team at FOX Sports.
There have been moments of true insight from Brady, such as a play in the NFC Divisional Round between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions as the former quarterback spotted that the Lions had 12 men on the field for a critical fourth-down play late in the game:
Still, those moments have been the exception, not the norm, and many are wondering if another of Brady’s ventures is holding him back:
His role with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Earlier this fall the NFL approved his bid to join the ownership group of the team. Brady addressed the news with a post on social media last fall:
I’m incredibly humbled and excited to have been approved as an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Throughout my NFL career, I’ve learned that at its core, football is a game of teamwork, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. The Raiders franchise and the city of Las Vegas embody those some values, and I’m honored to become part of that story.
Football has been part of my entire life growing up in the Bay Area and in so many ways, my football life and journey has come full circle. I love the sport, I love my teammates, coaches, and the fans in every organization I’ve been a part of. Sports brings us together in a way nothing else can. I grew up on the field, and it’s a blessing to know I’ll be involved in the greatest league in the world for the rest of my life.
I’d like to thank Mark Davis for welcoming me into his family and the tireless work he’s done to help build on the organization that so many fans know and love today. Also thank you to Commissioner [Roger] Goodell for his support as well as all the NFL owners that supported my dream — I’m forever grateful. I’d also like to thank my partner Tom Wagner, Don Yee, Jim Gray, Alex Spiro, and Larry Delson as they have been instrumental in helping me achieve this incredible milestone.
I’m eager to contribute to the organization in any way I can, honoring the Raiders’ rich tradition while finding every possible opportunity to improve our offering to fans. And most importantly, win football games.
#JustWinBaby #LFG
Tom Brady
This move came into conflict with his role in the booth, and restrictions were put into place to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
As reported earlier this season by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, the terms of Brady’s ownership deal severely restrict what he can do ahead of — and even during — broadcasts. According to Wickersham, Brady has these limitations:
- Brady will not be permitted in another team’s facility
- He cannot witness team practices
- He cannot attend broadcast production meetings, either in person or virtually
- He cannot publicly criticize game officials
- He cannot publicly criticize other teams
- Brady will be subject to the NFL’s gambling policy
- He will also be subject to the NFL’s anti-tampering policy
These restrictions on Brady’s work with FOX Sports make perfect sense for the other 31 teams. After all, if Brady were to — hypothetically — pick up on some tendencies from team practices, player interviews, production meetings, or from being present at a team’s facility, that information could be beneficial to the Raiders if they were to play one of those teams later in the season. For example, information regarding injuries, player usage, or something else, is information that could benefit the Raiders in the future.
Then there are the two clauses regarding criticism, which restrict Brady from publicly criticizing game officials or other teams. Part of being a good analyst is offering your unvarnished insight on teams, and sometimes officials. If, hypothetically, a quarterback throws four interceptions in a game but the coaching staff sticks with that quarterback, is Brady now restricted from questioning that decision, or outright disagreeing with it?
If the officials make a clear mistake, as has happened from time to time, is Brady now forced to refrain from pointing that out?
Now, ahead of Super Bowl LIX some of these “Brady Rules” are being lifted. While he still will not be allowed to attend practices for either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles, he will be permitted to participate in production meetings with both teams before the game.
Speaking with the media on Monday Kansas City owner Clark Hunt addressed the “Brady Rules,” and the changes for Super Bowl LIX.
“When [Brady] was approved as an owner of the Raiders, there were a lot of discussions internally [among owners] and that ended up being the recommendation of the league office, that it didn’t make sense to have him in the production meetings,” Hunt said this week. “That’s where that rule came from. Since he’s doing the game this week, we have no issue with him being in our production meetings. He’ll have the access that any broadcaster would have.”
This begs the question: Will Super Bowl LIX offer Brady the chance to deliver on his true potential in the booth?
Speaking with the media on Wednesday, the former quarterback talked at length about his first year in the booth.
“Understanding the challenges and the art and the science of this, you can really only do it through doing it,” said Brady on Wednesday.
“I always thought it was gonna be a challenge and has certainly been that, and a very positive challenge. Part of the experience of life is challenging yourself and getting outside your comfort zone to experience new things where it can be more of a transformational experience for you,” added Brady. “To use your voice and your vision for a live television audience, there’s a lot of adrenaline in that. It was very different from when I played where I would see all these things, I just didn’t have to verbalize them. I knew subconsciously what to do and my body just took over because ultimately, that’s how I trained it.”
Brady also conceded that he had made some “mistakes” this season, and drawing on his days as a player the former QB views them as teachable moments.
“I think the mistakes that I’ve made, and I’ve made plenty, I’ve learned from all of them,” he said. “You’re not happy they happen, but at the same time, you understand that when they do happen—and I mispronounce words or I forget a certain statistic or the preparation’s a little off in terms of my thoughts on something and I screw up the analysis—I go back and I want to get it right the next time. And without the mistakes, you don’t learn from them and apply them going forward. And I think all the mistakes I made, although I wish I didn’t make them, the fact that I can learn from them and move forward with a greater sense of awareness just allows you to improve.”
Brady signed a ten-year, $375-million deal to take over this role at FOX Sports. The network made a big bet that his experience on the field, and his legendary commitment to excellence — pun perhaps intended — would make him a perfect fit alongside Burkhardt on their lead NFL team. While he has yet to live up to that promise in the minds of many, according to reporting the network has brushed aside that criticism.
Now he has a chance to put that criticism to bed with a command performance on the game’s biggest stage, and according to the network Brady is preparing “like a maniac” for his first Super Bowl in the booth.
Will that end with a win, like many of his Super Bowls before?
