Former ESPN exec is not sold on ‘trophy’ Tom Brady

Former ESPN president John Skipper is not a fan of FOX Sports’ hire of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

Tom Brady’s retirement from the NFL lasted around a month before he decided that it was not for him just yet, and announced that he would return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he does have a retirement gig secured, as he agreed to a 10-year, $375 million contract to be a lead analyst for FOX.

Former ESPN president John Skipper appeared on “The Dan Lebatard Show with Stugotz,” and expressed his belief that Brady will not be worth the money FOX is paying him, calling him a “very expensive trophy.”

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Former ESPN president does not see Tom Brady being worth the money FOX is paying him

“I don’t think that’s necessary or a good use of $37.5 million. At about $100,000 a pop, we could hire 370 employees for that,” said Skipper, h/t Audacy. “For $375 million, you could have bought some live event rights, which would actually make a significant difference.”

Skipper is no longer the president of ESPN, as he resigned in late 2017. He is currently an executive chairman at DAZN and CEO of Meadowlark Media.

This offseason, FOX lost their No. 1 commentary team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to ESPN. They announced that Kevin Burkhardt would take over for Buck as their lead analyst for NFL games. Then, earlier this month, the report broke that the network had agreed with Brady on the $375 million contract that would make him the top color commentator whenever he decides to end his playing career.

It is unknown how Brady will perform in the announcer’s booth. He is entertaining on social media, but will he make the successful transition to commentary like Tony Romo had with CBS? That remains to be seen, but Skipper is not a fan of the decision by FOX.