Tom Brady is only a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner for one reason, NFL analyst Michael Holley has claimed.
The legendary NFL quarterback, who won seven Super Bowls as a player, was approved as a minority owner in October 2024.
When he joined, billionaire Raiders owner Mark Davis vowed that Brady would have a ‘huge voice’ in the future of the franchise.
However, in the time that Brady has been onboard, Las Vegas has continued to stutter, finishing last season with a woeful 3-14 record.
And Holley, who covered Boston sports during the height of Brady’s career in New England, has claimed that the former quarterback doesn’t have much interest in influencing the franchise.
‘If you’ve got a bad franchise, you have to be there,’ he said, speaking on Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio. ‘I think it’s a matter of this: does Tom Brady really want to do this or does he just want to be an owner of the Raiders? I think he just wants the money. I think he likes the money.
Tom Brady became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2024
Sports reporter Michael Holley has claimed it was a purely money-grab move for Brady
Holley suggested that Brady could be preparing to one day take over from Mark Davis
‘He’s improved as a broadcaster. So, maybe that’s where he wants to be. He wants to work in broadcast. He wants to do his newsletter where he talks about balance. And [he wants to] see how high the value of the Raiders goes and maybe one day he’s in position to take over from Mark Davis. He’s got some sort of group that buys out Mark Davis and he’s an owner of the Raiders.
‘But does he want to run football operations? Clearly the answer is no. Not the Tom Brady that I saw for a generation in New England – one of the most competitive people I’ve seen.
‘That Tom Brady would not sit back and look at a team win five of 28 games and say, “Well, I’ll let John handle it. I’ll let Clint handle it. And I’ll pop in, I’ll give a FaceTime every now and again with our quarterback to see if everything’s alright. And I’ll put the headsets on every now and then.” That doesn’t sound like Tom Brady to me. That doesn’t sound like invested, football savant Tom Brady.’
Brady’s arrival had been expected to revolutionize the Raiders. Instead, all it has done is ruffle feathers around the league.
Brady ignited the controversy surrounding his co-ownership of the Raiders and $375million contract with Fox last season after he was spotted watching Las Vegas’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers in the coaching booth in September.
When he acquired a minority stake last year, NFL chiefs imposed strict rules on the legendary quarterback’s broadcasting career, including barring him from attending production meetings or visiting other teams’ facilities.
While he is now allowed to attend production meetings, his appearance in the Raiders’ coaching booth sparked outrage, with fans adamant that it is proof of a conflict of interest in his roles with the franchise and Fox.
