Tom Brady has finally spoken out on his future as a Fox Sports commentator – insisting he is going nowhere despite calls for him to be fired by the network.
The legendary NFL quarterback, who is now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, has drawn criticism in recent weeks for a perceived conflict of interest in his role with Fox.
After the firing of Antonio Pierce, Brady has reportedly played an integral part in the Raiders’ search for a new head coach in recent weeks, having carried out interviews with a number of potential candidates.
His heavy involvement in Las Vegas’ recruiting process has led to many questioning his impartiality as a Fox commentator; including when he worked Saturday’s Commanders-Lions game not long after interviewing then-Detroit OC Ben Johnson.
Yet despite outrage over him juggling the two positions, Brady has ruled out an early Fox exit one season into his 10-year, $375million contract.
During an appearance on FS1 show ‘The Herd’, host Colin Cowherd initially teased him: ‘If everything I read on the internet is true, it breaks my heart that we only got to work a year together. You’re already leaving. It’s really hard for me. I don’t know where you’re going but you’re leaving.’
Tom Brady insists he will not be walking away from his role as a Fox commentator anytime soon
‘I thought it was a great run, one solid year,’ Brady joked before addressing the controversy more seriously.
‘I don’t know where it comes from,’ he said. ‘I know it always says “sources close to Brady” or whatever, but I’ve had the best time at Fox and I’ve loved every time going into the booth and working with such great people.
‘To see how it is from a different perspective, I’ve had so many years playing on the field, I’ve watched so many games from the sidelines, now I’m up there in the booth and seeing it from a different perspective, and I’ve loved the whole process in diving into all these different teams. It’s been a lot of growth for me in one year.
‘I really can’t wait to see what it looks like in year two and way beyond that too. I’ve got nine years left on my deal and maybe longer, you never know…
‘If Fox wants me and I want to go [on], we’ll just keep going, cause it’s been really fun thus far.’
Brady and his fellow Raiders chiefs have interviewed or are scheduled to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and ex-New York Jets coach Robert Saleh as well as Johnson.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner was said to be favoring Johnson after being left ‘enamored’ by him, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
Brady’s perceived conflict of interest in his role on Fox Sports has been a topic of controversy
The legendary quarterback is also an influential minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders
But Brady told Colin Cowherd that he has no plans to end his 10-year Fox contract early
However, he was dealt a huge blow earlier this week when the Lions offensive coordinator left Detroit to become head coach of the Chicago Bears instead.
Raiders owner Mark Davis recently revealed that Brady will have a ‘huge voice’ in the franchise’s future, but former MLB executive Davis Samson insists he can’t hold such a position while working as a commentator for Fox.
‘Tom Brady is running that team right now – the NFL knows it and Fox knows it and something has got to give. So enjoy Tom in the booth because you’re not going to see him there next year,’ Samson told the Dan Le Batard Show.
‘He will be in the Raiders front office, he will not return as an analyst for Fox – you cannot be this involved in the operation of a team and be the No 1 analyst.
‘It’s an absolute insult to analysts what he’s doing. And it’s an insult to team president what he’s doing.
‘You end up doing both of them in a mediocre way… and I promise you he will choose the Raiders.’
Last week radio host Dan Patrick also accused the NFL of ‘bending over backwards’ to help Brady.
The New England Patriots legend won a record seven Super Bowls throughout his iconic career
‘The NFL is bending over backwards to help Tom Brady, it feels like… I don’t think the NFL wants him to get out of the broadcasting booth, I think they want him there,’ he said.
‘He’s got the Lions game with the Commanders. What happens if they show Ben Johnson on the sideline?’
‘Is Tom Brady, minority owner of the Raiders, allowed to talk about Ben Johnson? Does he have any inside info? Which I believe he would.
‘I love how the NFL makes it seem like this isn’t a conflict of interest… how many times do you listen to a game where you’re going to be reading into, maybe an ulterior motive?’
