5 days ago
2
There was a time, maybe more than 10 years ago, when the prospect of an NFL broadcaster taking a side job with one of the NFL's 32 teams would have been a non-starter. Thanks to Tom Brady's dual role as Fox's lead analyst and the Raiders' minority owner (and other societal shifts that made Brady's situation possible), the rubber band has been stretched more than far enough for ESPN's Troy Aikman to short-term moonlight as a consultant with the Dolphins.
It's really that simple. The NFL has no qualms with Brady being in position to gather league-wide information, and to cultivate league-wide relationships, one high-profile game at a time. (That'll change quickly, if/when the Raiders ever become a powerhouse.)
Advertisement
Brady can talk to coaches and key players in production meetings, and/or on the phone in the days proceeding each given broadcast. He can eyeball players during on-field warmups. He can talk to assistant coaches and front-office staff and otherwise form opinions about players the Raiders could pursue, and coaches they could hire. It's a valuable advantage, no matter how hard anyone tries to downplay it.
Although Brady's potential advantage hasn't done much to help the Raiders (if anything, they've gotten worse during his tenure with the team), his primary gig with Fox (at $37.5 million per year) gives him a level of access that no other owner and no other team has. And while he has chosen to be indignant about the suggestion that he'd possibly use his unique perspective to the Raiders' advantage, the simple reality is that he owes a duty to the Raiders to do just that. Which makes the conflict of interest inescapable.
The question isn't whether Brady can successfully navigate the two positions. The question is whether anyone should be in that position.
For Aikman, it's a much easier analysis. His temporary gig with the Dolphins won't impact his ESPN job because he won't be working any Dolphins games for the balance of the year.
Advertisement
Of course, Aikman worked a Dolphins game on December 15. It would be interesting to know whether he was talking to the Dolphins at the time about possibly becoming a consulting for the team's G.M. search, and whether that was disclosed to the Steelers.
Looking at it more broadly, Aikman is now leveraging his years of league-wide access and information to benefit one specific team. Which is why, in days gone by, Aikman's effort to cover the league for ESPN and to consult with one specific NFL team would not have been allowed.
But those days are gone forever. Now, we do what we want. When we want. How we want.
Which means that more teams can — and should — lean on folks whose primary jobs give them the ability to provide specific assistance to a franchise that lacks the kind of big-picture expertise that would help it break from a cycle of dysfunction.
Advertisement
The best approach would be for the NFL and all networks to make it clear that broadcaster can't simultaneously work for teams. In any capacity.
The problem is that it's too late to put the genie back in the bottle. So, teams, hire broadcasters. Broadcasters, go chase another paycheck. In the end, all's fair in love, war, and football.
English (US) ·