Fox and Tom Brady Face Explosive Sunday Showdown: Will Hidden Agendas Surface?

What an unusual week it’s been—not because of a hail mary or a game-winning touchdown, but thanks to a curious glimpse of Tom Brady perched in the Raiders’ coaching box. This clip, quickly dubbed the “Incredible Shrinking Tom Brady,” has stirred up a hornet’s nest around the uneasy dance between his role as a Fox broadcaster and his stake in an NFL team. It’s hard to ignore how this overlap paints a murky picture—one that critics have tried to shrug off with weak “whataboutisms,” but Monday night’s events have kicked the door wide open: How much insider info does Brady really gain from being both a sideline presence and production insider, and could that sneak back to benefit the Raiders? Even Antonio Pierce, the former Raiders coach, didn’t mince words, declaring last year’s whispers as fact—Brady sharing intel wasn’t just speculation. Whether or not Brady’s conduct crosses any official lines, it’s the shadow of impropriety that hangs heavy, especially with the Cowboys-Bears clash set to air on Fox while the Raiders prepare to host the Bears next week. Will Fox confront this ticking time bomb head-on during the pregame show? History says probably not. When pressed before about similar conflicts, Brady’s evasive, cliché-laden answers say it all—expect more spin than substance today, if anything. LEARN MORE

The story of the week had nothing to do with anything that happened on the field. The video of an Incredible Shrinking Tom Brady in the Raiders’ coaching box caused many to finally realize the clear conflict of interest between his Fox broadcasting gig and his partial ownership of a team.

Previously, some tried to downplay or justify Brady’s dual roles as not creating a conflict — or by engaging in clunky “whataboutism.” In the aftermath of Monday night, the question became whether Brady’s involvement in production meeting and his on-field presence during pregame warmups give him insights that can be funneled back to the Raiders.

Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce seemingly put that debate to rest on Thursday when saying that, last year, Brady did that.

Brady’s actions, proper or not, don’t matter. The appearance of impropriety does. And the question for Sunday’s Cowboys-Bears game on Fox becomes obvious, especially with the Raiders hosting the Bears next week.

Will the situation be addressed?

It’s a box that could be checked on the pregame show, hours before kickoff. It could (should) be handled right out of the gate, with Brady addressing the situation minutes before kickoff in Chicago and reading from the pre-written P.R. talking points.

Don’t count on the latter happening. In January, when the Raiders reportedly were planning to make a run at Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (now the head coach of the Bears), play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt teed Tommy up to address the elephant in the room. Instead, Brady spun a cotton candy word salad, reciting a string of cliches in order and avoiding the subject at hand.

That’s probably the most that will happen today, if anything happens at all.