Tom Brady may no longer play football, but he is still just as involved as ever.
Arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL, Brady ensured he continued his legacy by becoming a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders last year.
The 48-year-old also has minor ownership stakes in WNBA franchise the Las Vegas Aces, and English football club, Birmingham City.
Furthermore, Brady is FOX Sports’ leading color commentator, alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, with him having started that role back at the beginning of the 2024 NFL season.
During the first year of his stunning 10-year, $375 million contract with FOX, though, several issues arose, including him being prohibited from accessing another team’s facility, watching other teams practices, and being unable to attend broadcast production meetings in any capacity.
‘Brady’ rules have been lifted by the NFL
But these restrictions on Brady have since been lifted somewhat, as they were for Super Bowl LIX, with the NFL now reportedly allowing him to participate in production meetings with teams and coaches going forward.
However, the seven-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers has made the startling admission that he would listen to the meetings anyway, despite the harsh rules imposed on him last season.
“I would listen to press conferences all week anyway,” Brady told PFF’s Cris Collinsworth in an interview on Sunday. “You know, whether it’s the weekly coaches’ press conference that he has to do on a Wednesday or Friday, I’d listen to that.
“The players all speak to the media, so it’s not like you’re forcing players to answer a question. I’ve always felt like if I ask a question, they don’t want to answer it, I have no problem.
“The only thing I want to do is gain insight into the game to help the viewers understand the game a little bit better.”
The initial reason why Brady was barred from meetings was because of the paranoia surrounding whether he would pass on insider information to new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
However, the three-time league MVP – who has recently just had an 12-foot bronze statue of himself unveiled outside of Gillette Stadium – argues that being involved is integral to him building chemistry with all parties involved in broadcasting.
“I think me asking questions in a production meeting is no different than a media member asking a question in a weekly press conference,” Brady added.
“They’re going to answer it the same way. So, it’s nice for my crew to have me involved because I think, as a cohesive unit, what we’re trying to do, that’s going to be a real positive.
“But outside of that, I just want to go in there and be as professional as possible. And I am a professional. I was a professional as I played. I’m a professional in this role.
“Ultimately, I want to be as prepared as I can be, so the broadcast for our viewers is the best as possible.”
In light of the reports of the ‘Brady rules’ being dropped, Dan Patrick took to his show to criticise the decision made by the league, while simultaneously calling out the 15-time Pro Bowler and telling him to make a choice between broadcasting and ownership.
“He shouldn’t be in these production meetings,” Patrick said. “You’re a minority owner of the Raiders. Now, he was still involved with a team that was involved in the two biggest cheating scandals of all time.
“He was involved in… well, his team was involved in Spygate. There was Deflategate. He shouldn’t be in these meetings. It’s just—pick one or the other.
“The NFL wants Tom to be there during the games. I get that. But now you’re changing the rules just so Tom can go into these meetings. And he does need to be in these meetings. If you want to be a broadcaster, be a broadcaster. Go into those meetings.”
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