Lions playoff game puts Tom Brady’s conflict under brighter spotlight
Tom Brady will be providing commentary in a postseason game that involves two Lions assistant coaches competing to be Raiders' next HC.
NFL
Brady will be providing commentary to a large viewing audience in a high-stakes postseason game that involves two Lions assistant coaches competing to be the Raiders' next head coach.
Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Kyusung Gong
4 minutes to read
The conflict arising from Tom Brady’s dual role as part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and the lead analyst on Fox’s NFL broadcasts will be on prominent display Saturday night.
Brady will be at Ford Field in Detroit to call the Lions’ divisional-round playoff game against the Washington Commanders. That means he will be providing commentary to a large viewing audience in a high-profile, high-stakes postseason game that involves two Lions assistant coaches – offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn – who are candidates for the Raiders’ vacant head coaching job.
Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning former quarterback for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers who is completing his first season with Fox, is believed to be actively involved in the Raiders’ coaching search. And many within the sport regard Johnson, the creative architect of a Lions offense that led the NFL in scoring during the regular season, as the Raiders’ preferred candidate.
Advertisement:“I do believe that’s the guy they’d like to hire if they can,” said one agent who represents NFL coaches but does not represent Johnson.
The issue, then, becomes the impartiality of the Fox broadcast. What will Brady say about Johnson, Glenn and the Lions’ offensive and defensive approaches and play-calling? Would he say that he disagrees with something that the Lions do? If he offers praise, is it genuine? Fans regularly complain that broadcasters have a bias for or against certain teams. Often, there’s no justification for such complaints. But in most of those cases, one of the broadcasters is not talking about someone that he’s attempting to hire for his own team.
Advertisement:Johnson was asked during a news conference Wednesday at the Lions’ training facility whether he is permitted to have any interaction with Brady on the field before the game. He said that he’d met Brady before a game this season against the Green Bay Packers.
“I know nothing of that nature,” Johnson said. “I met him [at] the Packers game on the field. I saw him for a second in pregame. That’s the first time I’ve ever met him. And that’s it.”
Johnson had a remote interview with the Raiders last week. He is not permitted to interview with any teams in-person until after the divisional round of the playoffs, under NFL rules. He declined to say Wednesday whether he spoke to Brady during that virtual interview.
“Above my pay grade,” Johnson said.
Brady operated this season under a set of restrictions imposed by the NFL related to his Fox duties, arising from the concerns of owners of other franchises. The league prohibited Brady from participating in broadcast production meetings with NFL teams and from being in teams’ facilities to watch their practices or perform other activities. He also is subject to potential discipline by the NFL if he violates league rules regarding criticism of the officiating and tampering with players and coaches under contract to other teams.
Advertisement:The league planned to take a pragmatic approach to policing Brady’s on-air comments, and the regular season played out without any major incidents involving Brady’s multiple endeavors. The issue does not seem to be a major concern for other teams and owners, even with the situation that will unfold at Saturday’s game.
A high-ranking official with one NFL team said Thursday that he had “not really given it any thought” recently, adding that he had “not heard any complaints about it” within the league.
The NFL and Fox did not respond to requests for comment.
The owners voted in October to approve Brady’s deal for part-ownership of the Raiders. Brady and Tom Wagner, the co-founder of Knighthead Capital Management, are believed to have purchased approximately 10 percent of the Raiders for an undisclosed price.
The deal had been pending before the NFL finance committee for more than a year, largely because of the size of the discount that Mark Davis, the Raiders’ principal owner, initially sought to give Brady on the purchase price.
“There were a lot of things from a structure and due diligence standpoint that had to happen, which is why it took so long for it to be approved,” Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, the chairman of the finance committee, said at the owners’ meeting in Atlanta on the day the deal was ratified.
Advertisement:Davis said that day that he understood other owners’ reservations about Brady’s dual role.
“It’s something that they did have concerns about,” Davis said then. “I would say that if an owner of the Chiefs wanted to come in and interview my head coach and quarterback, I probably wouldn’t want him to do it, either. … I understood what people were concerned about.”
Brady has become a key voice in the Raiders’ decision-making, just as Davis envisioned in October.
“Although Tom can’t play,” Davis said then, “I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future and potentially train him as well. So it’s a huge benefit for the organization.”
Helping to choose a coach to succeed the fired Antonio Pierce apparently will be part of Brady’s contributions as well. Some people within the sport believe that Johnson is considering the Raiders, despite their coaching instability in recent years and their uncertain quarterback situation, only because of Brady’s presence. Johnson is an in-demand candidate who is being pursued by several teams after withdrawing from head coaching consideration last offseason when he might have been in line to be hired by the Commanders or Seattle Seahawks.
“This go-around, I’ve been a lot more prepared for the types of questions that they’ve been asking,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I’ve also changed my frame of mind a little bit. Instead of worrying solely about the offense and what we’re doing right here, I’ve been able to have offseasons and summers to think about big-picture view, what a program would look like where I’m running it. And so I think that way, I’m a lot more prepared for the questions that come my way and much more comfortable answering them.”
Advertisement:Get the latest Boston sports newsReceive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Submit your email Enter your email address
Prince William is set to take part in a special service in London attended by survivors from around the world who have spent their lives fighting extremism
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Hot for Harry; mad for Meghan.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The US president-elect made the actors his "special envoys" to Hollywood, which he said had lost business to foreign countries and needed to be "bigger, better and stronger" than ever before
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From must-see concerts to upcoming music releases and more, weâ??re breaking down the hottest music news and events happening from Los Angeles to New York in 2025.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(722x134:724x136)/chris-martin-dakota-johnson-011725-1-dc753811e0d7410aaab82863e14815bc.jpg)
Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin were spotted holding hands in Mumbai, India, putting to rest any breakup rumors as Martin tours with his band Coldplay.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(722x134:724x136)/chris-martin-dakota-johnson-011725-1-dc753811e0d7410aaab82863e14815bc.jpg&description=Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin Hold Hands in India on Rare Public Outing, Shut Down Split Rumors (Exclusive Photos) Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin were spotted holding hands in Mumbai, India, putting to rest any breakup rumors as Martin tours with his band Coldplay. %23split) |
|
|
Cameron Diaz returns to comedy after a yearslong hiatus with ‘Back in Action.’ Find out how to watch it below!
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Joey King poked fun at the reaction to her bleached eyebrows, admitting she knows the look isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Kenny Chesney recalled a pivotal moment when he had to call a then 17-year-old Taylor Swift and let her know she couldn't tour with him.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Pink Floyd remain one of the most cinematic bands to have ever existed, and their association with the movie business predates their fame.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
â??Iâ??m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons."
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.