Owners agree to Tom Brady's offer to acquire a minority stake in the Raiders

NFL team owners voted Tuesday to approve Tom Brady's purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, a move he called “a blessing to know that I'm in the greatest league in the world for the rest of my life.” will play”.

“Throughout my NFL career, I have learned that football, at its core, is a game about teamwork, resilience and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” Brady said in a statement Tuesday. “The Raiders franchise and the city of Las Vegas embody the same values, and I am honored to become a part of this story.”

Brady thanked Raiders owner Mark Davis for “welcoming me into his family and for the tireless work he has done to help build the organization that so many fans know and love today.”

“Tom is someone I didn't particularly like for many years,” Davis told reporters after league meetings ended Tuesday, referring to the infamous tuck rule controversy in 2002. “He admitted there was a fumble was. So those are important aspects.” We are just very proud to have him as a partner. He is a smart young man.

“Even though Tom can't play, I think he can help us select a quarterback in the future and possibly coach as well.”

In fact, Brady said in his statement that he is “eager to contribute to the organization in every way possible, honoring the Raiders' rich tradition while finding every possible opportunity to enhance our offering to fans… and forward.” WINNING football games.”

Out of respect for Brady's job as a broadcaster for Fox, Davis declined to provide details about Brady's role with the Raiders. Davis said one of the sticking points in the 17-month process was Brady's dual role as broadcaster and potential team owner.

While Brady's application was pending, the league imposed a series of restrictions on him as a broadcaster, which he had followed since he started working for Fox. Brady is barred from weekly production meetings with the players and coaches of the games he will be covering, he is not allowed to be in another team's facility and he is not allowed to observe practice. These restrictions remain in place.

“I think a lot of owners around the league felt this was a potential conflict,” said Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, chairman of the finance committee, who raised the conflict of interest with Brady's ownership. “It is difficult to say whether this is an actual conflict, but it may be a potential conflict or a perceived conflict.”

“Tom has voluntarily adhered to the issues we have raised on the committee since he began broadcasting,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “So that’s all settled.”

Davis said he understands the concerns because his father, Al Davis, is known for protecting all Raiders information.

“We at the Raiders are paranoid,” Davis said. “I know the coaches and the quarterbacks want to talk to him. They won't tell him the whole story, and they won't tell you the whole story either. When they talk, they do it.” “I'll tell you what you want the other team to hear.”

The Dallas Cowboys, who have had Brady's Fox broadcast team four times this season, are among the teams that would prefer Brady to attend production meetings during the week.

Cowboys communications manager Tad Carper told ESPN that he has informed Fox producers as well as the league office that Cowboys coaches want Brady to participate in production meetings so that he has full context to provide the Fox audience with their decisions to explain in games.

Another obstacle in Brady's path to becoming owner of the Raiders was the possibility that he could continue his NFL career. In July 2023, owners voted to ban non-family employees from owning a team, meaning Brady would have to sell his share of the Raiders in order to play for another team.

Goodell downplayed the 17 months it took for Brady to be approved as a minority partner of the Raiders.

“Property transactions take a long time,” he said.

Hunt added: “From a structural and due diligence perspective there were a lot of things that needed to happen which is why it took so long to get approved. We've finally gotten everything under control and we're happy to get it done.” I know the finance committee is happy to stop talking about it.

Goodell hopes the newly approved ownership of Brady and Raiders Hall of Famer Richard Seymour will inspire other former players to look into ownership.

“I think there’s a lot of interest,” Goodell said. “And I encouraged them… There are others that may be in the works in the near future.”

“I think they contribute a lot to personal responsibility. I love not only diversity, but diversity of thought in the context of what's good for the game. What can we do better? How can we improve? How.” Are we getting bigger? How can we further expand our goal in all areas?”