Tom Brady Sitting in the Raiders’ Coaching Booth Has Fans Raising Fair Questions About Conflict of Interest – “How Is This Allowed?”

Tom Brady attended his first Raiders game of the season from inside the coach's booth.

Tom Brady Sitting in the Raiders’ Coaching Booth Has Fans Raising Fair Questions About Conflict of Interest – “How Is This Allowed?”

Tom Brady inside the coach's booth at Allegiant Stadium (Image via IMAGO/X)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Tom Brady covered the Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles game at KC on Sunday night. Then he packed his bags and jetted his way to Allegiant Stadium to watch the Las Vegas Raiders.

There weren’t any red flags up to this point. However, eyebrows were raised when the camera crew spotted the retired NFL quarterback sitting inside the coaches’ booth at Allegiant Stadium, rather than being at the VIP suite.

Technically, Brady shouldn’t have access to the booth even though he owns a minority stake in the Vegas franchise. His role with FOX Sports as a broadcaster creates a conflict of interest. Despite that, the 48-year-old was seen with a headset, next to the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly.

Fans call out the NFL’s bias toward Tom Brady

Following his retirement after the 2022 NFL season, Brady decided to buy a small stake in the Raiders. However, he had to wait a long time for the remaining 31 NFL teams to approve of his status as a minority owner.

Tom Brady Sitting in the Raiders' Coaching Booth Has Fans Raising Fair Questions About Conflict of Interest - "How Is This Allowed?"
Tom Brady (Image via IMAGO)

Brady had penned a 10-year, $375 million deal with the FOX Sports network to be part of its announcing crew, and the owners viewed it as a conflict of interest. An individual should not cover NFL games and also have ownership powers.

The NFL discussed the matter for nearly 17 months to approve Brady’s ownership claim. However, the league also imposed a media ban on Brady from participating in team production meetings during his first year in the booth.

He attended Raiders games in 2024 but stayed away from the dugout and the coaching booth. It changed on Monday when the Raiders hosted divisional rivals the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL rescinded the ban on Brady before the start of the current campaign. He now had access to participate fully in pregame production meetings alongside his Fox colleagues. Brady posted about the new development on Instagram earlier this year:

Rule update… Brady approved for production meetings, still negotiating the snack break, stay tuned.

Brady’s presence in the booth had little impact on the game. The Chargers proved too strong for the Raiders.

Quarterback Justin Herbert put up 19 completions from 27 attempts for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with 9 carries for 31 yards. Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen caught 5 passes for 61 yards and one touchdown, while Quentin Johnston went 3 for 71 and one score.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions (the most in the league) and 180 passing yards with a quarterback rating of 38.94. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught 6 passes for 68 yards, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had 11 carries for 43 yards (3.9 yards per carry). The game ended in a 20-9 defeat for the Raiders.

The Raiders are now 1-1 after two games and will face the Washington Commanders in the nation’s capital in week three.

Also Read: