BroBible
Despite the fact that he holds just a five percent stake in the team, most people believe that Tom Brady is pulling the strings in the Las Vegas Raiders front office. Brady, however, doesn’t see things quite the same way.
In a new interview with Ben Horney of Front Office Sports, Brady discussed not only his role with the Raiders but also his ever-growing portfolio of sports team ownership.
As it turns out, Brady isn’t nearly as hands-on as fans and members of the media believe. In fact, he’s made a point to try to step back from an active role in the day-to-day operations of the teams he owns.
While Brady knows that owning sports teams has the potential to be a lucrative venture, he says that’s not why he got into business to begin with.
“I enjoy the process and the product that happens on the field,” he said. “There’s certainly business people involved in selling tickets and sponsorships and so forth, but I want to see other people be successful in their life and their sporting career.”
But what does that actually mean for his role? Does helping people succeed mean that Brady is taking control of the way things are run? Not according to the legendary quarterback.
“I feel like I can play a role from 30,000 feet to make sure the players are saying the right thing, the coaches are saying the right thing, the processes for their success are correct,” Brady said. “And I really enjoy that role, and I can play a mentorship role in different ways in a lot of different areas.”
That view doesn’t just apply to the Raiders. Brady also owns stakes in the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA and English soccer club Birmingham City, which is set to play in the second tier of English soccer after winning a championship in the third tier last season.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate,” Brady said of all the dealings.
All the while, Brady has maintained his role as a broadcaster for Fox Sports. Although NFL fans believe he should step down from that position.
Richard Deitsch, who covers sports media for The Athletic, hypothesized in January that Brady could step away from his broadcasting job to be more active with the Raiders.
“The safer prediction would be that Brady walks away from his Fox deal after three or four years. But I’m going bold and saying Brady gets deeper involved with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason and decides to go all in with NFL ownership and his production company by the start of the next NFL season,” Deitsch wrote.
But if that’s the plan, it doesn’t appear anyone told Brady. Fans who don’t love his broadcasting chops might want to settle in. Because it doesn’t sound like Tom Brady is going away...
