We live in a time when conspiracy theories have gone mainstream. No longer relegated to the deepest, darkest corners of the internet, the craziest people among us routinely post half-baked conjecture and elaborate cover-ups as gospel truth, and worse yet, millions of people believe them. Many of these people even occupy the highest halls of power. I'd say more, but at this moment in history, I'd rather not end up on any kind of government watchlist if I can help it.
I acknowledge that most conspiracy theories are just too unbelievable to be true, and so it's with ironic self-awareness that I say that you've gotta believe me about this one! Tom Brady is committing espionage in broad daylight, and nobody is doing anything about it.
Most of my family is made up of Jets fans. My best friend is a Jets fan. It wasn't until now though that I truly realized where they were coming from when they said that Brady must be stopped. To them, Brady was like Heisenberg to Jesse Pinkman. "He can't keep getting away with this!" they'd yell as TB12's Patriots lorded over Gang Green, with very little interruption, for two decades. Now Brady is set to call the game between the Cowboys and my Bears next week, and then his Raiders will host Caleb Williams and company just seven days later. Who is going to do something about this?
Other than the one time that Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan got the last laugh on Brady in the playoffs, the Jets were basically powerless to stop him. There was always a feeling that Brady was getting away with something, they just couldn't put their finger on it. After all, how could it be possible to be so dominant for so long?
When Deflategate happened, it was like Christmas. This had to be what it felt like for the munchkins when that house fell on the Wicked Witch of the East. Brady ended up being suspended for four games, marking the second time in his career, Spygate being the first, that he or his team had been caught cheating.
Somehow, that stain has been magically washed away. Winning cures everything, and Brady continued to win in New England, and later in Tampa Bay, without any further evidence of wrongdoing. Now, he's the golden boy again. He'll probably become president some day, if that's still a thing.
Brady's Netflix roast last year was a huge success, and if that wasn't affirmation enough of how loved he is, then the $375 million he's making from his 10-year contract with Fox surely is.
Tom Brady has fooled us all
Eleven months ago, Brady's deal to become a minority owner of the Raiders was finalized, creating an obvious conflict of interest. How could Brady help run the Raiders and do his job as a broadcaster with any degree of impartiality? What would prevent him from using the inside information he gains from his Fox job and using it to help the Raiders, who lest we forget, play in a place known as Sin City? I know that corruption is legal now, but come on.
Let me make it clear that nobody should be trusted with both of these positions, because the potential for nefariousness is just too great. That being said, Brady is the absolute last person that should be allowed to do this. He's already been suspended for cheating before, and the fact that he performed a bloodless coup on Greg Olsen to take his job as Fox's lead analyst (let alone when Olsen is a much better listen) should be the final character test we need. This would be like putting Alex Rodriguez in charge of MLB's doping prevention program. Crap, I just gave Rob Manfred an idea.
Brady was seen at Monday Night Football's matchup between his Raiders and the Chargers with a headset on, so we know that his ownership role is much more than just a token figurehead position. He helped in the team's coaching search this offseason, and ESPN's Peter Schrager reported last night that Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly meets with Brady two to three times per week to go over the gameplan and watch film. Pete Carroll refuted that report, but did say that both he and Kelly meet with Brady regularly.
Tom Brady is in the #Raiders coaches booth tonight: pic.twitter.com/eCH4nmTuKa
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 16, 2025
The NFL can't keep turning a blind eye to Brady's conflict of interest
I understand that Tom Brady is one of the most famous football players of all time, and that the NFL and Fox both love to have him front and center on their coverage. Really, he never should have been allowed to invest in the Raiders in the first place. Then there would be no issue.
Brady is limited compared to other broadcasters in what he's allowed to do and not do to prepare for his assignments. It's still not enough, though. The NFL has bent the rules to accommodate a famous and powerful name, and that's a slippery slope to get on.
If you've watched the first two weeks of Bears football this season, then you understand that nobody needs to cheat to beat them right now. The Lions could have scored 100 points last week if they wanted to, and the Bears' defense made J.J. McCarthy, who otherwise looks like he's in way over his head as the starting quarterback of the Vikings, look like ... well, like Tom Brady.
Brady was on the call for the Commanders-Giants game last week, and on Sunday his Raiders will fly to Washington to play in a pivotal game for both 1-1 teams. Can the Commanders possibly feel good about that?
This isn't about the Bears, the Commanders, or any other team, for that matter. This is about Brady being given special privilege and telling NFL fans, "Trust me, guys, nothing to see here." Whether he's doing anything he shouldn't be or not, it's a bad look for the NFL, and it erodes consumer confidence in a product that is otherwise at the height of ratings and popularity. If you lose the fans' trust though, that can quickly change, which is why we've seen leagues act so quickly to punish players for gambling, for instance.
Other than the NFL forcing him to divest from the Raiders, or Brady voluntarily stepping down from Fox, what can be done? Neither of those things is likely to happen, so it feels like we're in too deep at this point. Could coaches just refuse to speak to him in the week leading up to the game, or would that be a punishable act? We're all too addicted to football, so fans speaking with their wallets is beyond a longshot.
In the absence of real action, sometimes all you can do is make your voice heard. To the NFL and Tom Brady — we see you, and this is not OK.