Photo: Getty Images
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady broke his silence on conflict of interest accusations between his roles as a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner and FOX Sports lead NFL analyst in the latest entry of his weekly newsletter entitled 'Do Your Job' shared on Wednesday (September 24).
"I love football. At its core it is a game of principles. And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles in it intersect is not actually a point of conflict, despite what the paranoid and distrustful might believe. Rather, it’s the place from which my ethical duty emerges: to grow, evolve, and improve the game that has given me everything," Brady wrote.
Last week, the NFL issued a statement confirming that Brady didn't violate any NFL rules by wearing a headset in the Raiders' coaching booth during the team's Monday Night Football loss on September 15 in a statement obtained by NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
"There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches' booth or wearing a headset during a game," the NFL said. "Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner. All personnel sitting in the booth must abide by policies that prohibit the use of electronic devices other than league-issued equipment such as a Microsoft Surface Tablet for the Sideline Viewing System."
Brady, who also works as FOX Sports' lead NFL analyst, was approved to purchase a minority stake in the Raiders last October, though some critics have questioned the seven-time Super Bowl champion balancing both roles. The NFL is permitting Brady to attend production meetings remotely and it will be up to other teams' discretion to determine what information will be shared with Brady.
"Tom continues to be prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings," the league's statement reads. "He may attend production meetings remotely but may not attend in person at the team facility or hotel. He may also conduct an interview off site with a player like he did last year a couple times, including for the Super Bowl. Of course, as with any production meeting with broadcast teams, it's up to the club, coach or players to determine what they say in those sessions."
Raiders head coach Pete Carroll addressed Brady's presence in the coaches' booth while speaking to reporters after the Monday Night Football loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I think Tom's tried to honor that really strictly and with all respect to the situation of, you know, concerns like you're talking about, and I think he's been really good," Carroll said via NFL.com. "He's not planning games with us; he's not talking to us about anything other than our conversations we have that are, really, that are random. They're not set up; they're not structured in any way. He knows. He's very respectful of what he does otherwise, and he's of the opinion that he doesn't want to be that kind of a factor and so he's not."