Brady and Raiders reach ‘agreement’ over ownership

las vegas raiders owner mark davis told ESPN on Monday has “come to terms” with the future Hall of Fame quarterback tom brady to join the ownership group of the organization, pending nfl approval. Sports Illustrated also confirmed Brady’s minority stake. Here’s what you need to know:

• Davis has been looking for a limited partner and was in talks with Magic Johnson a year ago. Johnson ended up being part of the Commanders new ownership group.
• Brady has previously purchased ownership stakes in the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA and a pickleball expansion team in the MLP. Davis is also the primary owner of the Aces.
• Brady, 45, retired in February after a storied 23-year career, winning seven Super Bowls.

the athleticInstant analysis of:

What does this mean for the future of Brady’s broadcast?

Sports television entities long ago bet on the idea that their stations cannot have some type of participation in the ownership of the teams. The question usually comes down to optics: Are you comfortable with your broadcaster calling games or talking about said team? Usually the answer is yes.

In Brady’s case, as ESPN originally reported, Fox has blessed the sourcing-based arrangement. That tracks historically with all networks. If he’s a tennis fan, for example, he’s long watched announcers break down matches while he actively coaches other players on the circuit. Brady, if he lands in the broadcast booth in 2024, he’ll be Fox Sports’ highest-paid and most famous front-line staffer. The company is not going to derail that simply because of an obvious conflict of interest.

My general rule of thumb, and you don’t have to follow it, is this: If someone has a financial stake in something, they should proceed with caution, not necessarily about what they say, but about what they don’t say. If Brady ends up with a part of the Raiders, I’m going to gloss over everything he says about the franchise outside of game analysis. But as to whether it will be a problem for Fox, there’s no chance. — German

Davis, Brady deepen their connection

The origin of Davis and Brady’s business relationship began last May when the former NFL quarterback attended an Aces game. The two caught up on the contest in a conversation that would eventually lead to Brady buying a partial ownership stake in the Aces in March.

“I think she was really impressed with how far women’s basketball has come,” Davis said. the athletic in March. “And he, too, was blown away by the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd in Las Vegas. He knew I was in on it, and I think he just felt like he wanted to be a part of it. And so, his people contacted me, we talked about it, and he became a partner of the world champion Las Vegas Aces.”

That ultimately turned into Brady also seeking a minority stake in the Raiders. Davis was open to considering the idea of ​​selling a piece of the franchise when Johnson expressed interest in the property last October, but the deal fell through and the nba The Hall of Fame point guard ended up buying a stake in the Commanders in April. Rather than go all-in on the idea, he agreed to talk to Brady, with whom he had formed a stronger relationship in recent months, and this is the culmination.

It’s an ironic turn of events considering Brady was frequently linked to the Raiders this offseason as a potential replacement for Derek Carr. Brady eliminated that possibility when he chose to retire, but he ended up being a Raider after all. — Rush

background

Along with the Aces and the future pickleball team, Brady has previously been linked with NFL ownership. In 2022, after his initial retirement, there were multiple reports that Brady was in talks with the miami dolphins become a minority owner.

The Dolphins were later penalized by the NFL for this impermissible contact with Brady, as he was still under contract with the Dolphins. 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 reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal to join Fox as a broadcaster shortly after retiring.

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(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)