Fox will broadcast Super Bowl 59 with first-year lead color commentator Tom Brady on the call. Brady became a partial owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and his potential conflict of interest as an owner and broadcaster has been an ongoing storyline this season.
Brady has toed the line of the league’s tampering rules that apply to other owners all season. Broadcasters get inside access to the teams they will be announcing that week, but special rules have been created so Brady never is in a compromising position. Another ex-quarterback turned broadcaster made a clever remark on X (formerly known as Twitter) regarding Brady’s interaction with the league office.
Fitzpatrick Reminds Us That We’ve Been Here Before With Brady and the NFL
Ryan Fitzpatrick, the loveable former quarterback turned Amazon analyst, took to X to respond to a recent report that Brady has been “incredibly cooperative” working with the league to avoid any broadcasting conflicts saying, “I feel like we’ve heard this before…”
I feel like we’ve heard this before… https://t.co/YMRhpMqfk2
— Ryan Fitzpatrick (@FitzMagic_14) February 3, 2025
Fitzpatrick appears to be taking a funny shot referencing Brady’s dealings with the league office following the Deflategate scandal in 2015. He has a long history of not being a fan of the ex-Patriots QB, but this comment seems tongue-in-cheek.
After the 2014 AFC Championship, the Indianapolis Colts accused the New England Patriots of deflating footballs so Brady had an easier time gripping the ball. The Patriots were seven-point favorites going into the game and decimated the Colts 45-7. They finished off another championship season by defeating Seattle 28-24 in a memorable Super Bowl 49.
A long and interesting investigation ensued, resulting in the NFL fining the Patriots $1 million and suspending Brady for the first four games of the 2016 season. Many players and pundits have described the investigation as a “witch hunt” that left a black mark on Brady’s storied career.
He was incredibly cooperative during the investigation, including handing over his cell phone, and now has been incredibly cooperative again according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
Roger Goodell: Tom Brady is "incredibly cooperative" avoiding Fox and Raiders conflicts. https://t.co/HeDMKXBkV7
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 3, 2025
In his yearly state of the league press conference, Goodell talked about league tampering rules and how Brady has been proactive with his compliance.
Goodell on Brady: “everyone in NFL is subject to tampering rules and other polices. Everyone is held accountable. In this case, there were special rules to make sure there are no conflicts. We will look at the policy in the offseason. Tom has been incredibly cooperative”. @PFN365
— David Bearman (@DavidBearmanPFN) February 3, 2025
Despite Brady’s cooperation, his bosses at Fox haven’t been pleased with the NFL’s treatment of their new shiny toy in the broadcast booth. Brad Zager is the president of production and operations and an executive producer for Fox Sports, and he made a strong statement in a recent interview: “To me, the questioning of someone’s integrity to say there is a conflict of interest is ridiculous and that’s a shame,” Zager told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Surprisingly, there haven’t been many, if any, complaints about Brady tampering with any team despite his ties to the Raiders. Fox, the NFL, and Brady would like to keep it that way, so expect the ex-quarterback to keep cooperatively toeing the line.