Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis ESPN said On Monday he “came to an agreement” with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady to join the company’s ownership group, pending NFL clearance. Sports Illustrated confirmed Brady’s minority stake. Here’s what you need to know:
- Davis is looking for a limited partner and was in talks with Magic Johnson a year ago. Johnson was part of the Commanders’ new ownership group.
- Brady previously bought ownership stakes in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and a pickleball expansion team in the MLP. Davis is also the principal owner of Aces.
- Brady, 45, retired in February following a historic 23-year career that won seven Super Bowls.
AthleticInstant Analysis:
What does this mean for Brady’s broadcasting future?
Sports television companies long ago made the point that their broadcasters could not hold certain types of ownership stakes in teams. The question usually comes down to optics: Do you like your broadcaster calling games or discussing said team? Generally, the answer is yes.
In Brady’s case, Fox blessed the evidence-based arrangement, as ESPN first reported. It is tracked historically across all networks. If you’re a tennis fan, for example, you’ve long watched broadcasters analyze matches while actively coaching other players on tour. Brady, if he steps into the broadcast booth in 2024, will be Fox Sports’ highest-paid and most popular front-office worker. The company is not going to derail it because of the obvious conflict of interest.
My rule of thumb, and you don’t have to follow it, is this: If someone has a financial stake, proceed with caution, not about what they say, but what they don’t say. I’m going to ignore everything he says about the franchise outside of game analysis if Brady ends up with the Raiders’ piece. But will that be an issue for Fox, not likely. — German
Davis and Brady deepen their connection
The origins of Davis and Brady’s business relationship began last May when the former NFL quarterback attended an Aces game. The two entered the competition, which would eventually lead to Brady purchasing a partial ownership stake in the Aces in March.
“I think she’s very impressed with how far women’s basketball has come,” Davis said Athletic In the month of March. And he was inspired by the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd in Las Vegas. He knew I was into it and I think he felt he wanted to be a part of it. So, his people contacted me, we talked about it, and he became a partner in the world champion Las Vegas Aces.
That eventually evolved into pursuing a minority ownership stake in the Brady Raiders. When Johnson expressed interest in the franchise last October, Davis was willing to consider selling a portion of the franchise, but a deal never came together, and the NBA Hall of Fame point guard was able to purchase a stake in the Commanders in April. . Instead of going all out on the idea, he agreed to negotiate with Brady, with whom he’s built a strong relationship in recent months, a culmination.
It’s an ironic turn of events considering Brady has often been linked to the Raiders this offseason as a potential replacement for Derek Carr. Brady eliminated that opportunity when he elected to retire, but he ended up being a rider. — Reed
Backstory
Brady has been linked to NFL franchises before, with the Aces and a future pickleball team. In 2022, after his early retirement, there were several reports that Brady was in discussions with the Miami Dolphins to become a minority owner.
The Dolphins were later sanctioned by the NFL for this impermissible contact with Brady because he was still under contract with the Buccaneers. Miami was forced to forfeit its first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million contract to join Fox as a broadcaster shortly after his retirement.
Required reading
(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
