Tom Brady defends ethics against distrust over Raiders, Fox roles - ESPN

Tom Brady is pushing back on concerns there is a conflict of interest between his roles as a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner and Fox Sports broadcaster.

In his weekly newsletter in an entry titled «Do Your Job,» published Wednesday, Brady writes that only the «paranoid and distrustful» believe that there's conflict in his roles.

«I love football. At its core it is a game of principles. And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles in it intersect is not actually a point of conflict, despite what the paranoid and distrustful might believe. Rather, it's the place from which my ethical duty emerges: to grow, evolve, and improve the game that has given me everything,» he writes.

As a broadcaster, Brady gets access to other teams' players and coaches that other owners do not have. This has raised concerns about a conflict of interest. That was amplified during a Week 2 «Monday Night Football» ESPN's broadcast showed Brady in the Raiders' booth wearing a headset during the first quarter of Las Vegas' 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL, however, said in a statement the next day that Brady didn't violate rules. The NFL said Brady is «prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings.» But the former star quarterback is allowed to sit in the coaches' booth, according to the league.

After his 23-year playing career during which he won seven Super Bowls, Brady made his Fox debut last season on a 10-year, $375 million contract that he originally agreed to in 2022. But limitations were put on Brady because of his agreement to become a partial owner of the Raiders, a deal that was approved by league owners