Multiple NFL Team Officials Reportedly Concerned With Tom Brady's Raiders Role

Tom Brady's role as a minority owner for the Raiders came into question once again when he was spotted sitting in the coaches' box during their Monday night game vs. the Chargers. ESPN's Peter Schrager also reported Brady speaks with Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly multiple times per week.

There have been various reports regarding Brady's involvement with the Raiders since the NFL approved his stake in the franchise last October. So far, Brady has been a part of the team's decisions to fire former coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco and replace them with Pete Carroll and John Spytek, as well as provide input on the plan at quarterback.

Schrager's report that Brady is regularly contacting Kelly and speaking about the game plan adds a whole other layer to his role in Las Vegas, one that a number of people believe is a conflict of interest since Brady is also a color commentator from Fox. While Raiders coach Pete Carroll deemed this report inaccurate and said Brady is not involved in the team's game planning, plenty across the NFL have become wary of his position with Las Vegas.

“I’d say everyone noticed that,” a high-ranking official with an NFL team said Tuesday, via Marke Masse, Tashan Reed and Ben Strauss of The Washington Post. “And if you already had concerns, that did not exactly alleviate them.”

An official from another NFL team said that the "situation is unfair" and that the league has brushed aside any concerns surrounding Brady's role.

Though Brady is barred from attending any practices or production meetings at another team's facilities, he is able to attend meetings and interview players remotely or off-site, which could potentially give the Raiders advantageous information. Even if he can't be there in person, Sports Illustrated contributor Andrew Brandt pointed out that Brady could still learn important information from a colleague able to attend practice.

One team did tell The Washington Post that Fox's top NFL broadcasting crew has not attended practices and has held their production meetings over Zoom since before Brady joined, but that clearly has not wiped away the concerns rising across the league.