We’ve long known that the NFL had reservations about Tom Brady joining the Raiders as a minority owner, with initial reports being that the owners didn’t like the idea of Brady getting such a deep discount in the deal.
But there may be another reason.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer believes rival teams are worried the Raiders might gain a competitive advantage by adding Brady…
“My understanding is that Brady’s share of the Raiders is somewhere around 6 percent. This year, Forbes valued the franchise at $6.2 billion. So if you assume that’s a reasonable number, then the team’s stake would be $372 million.
This is relevant because a major source of pushback for the Raiders is owners unhappy with the sale price. As one of them explained to me, there’s no way the league could have done with Brady being sold as a quasi-ceremonial player to the Aces and Birmingham City, a second-tier English soccer club that wanted the former quarterback Become a player. Investors increase their visibility in the states.
Money is the driving force for most property owners. More specifically, their only interest is in ensuring that every share of each team increases their team’s valuation as much as possible. And discounting Brady would not only be counterproductive, but wouldn’t add much value to anyone outside of the Raiders.
The second part is Brady’s job at Fox. On the face of it, it’s easy to see why owners’ concerns are justified. No team would want a minority owner of a rival team to have privileged information in a meeting with a coach (as most broadcasters do) just to do their job at the level expected of a game caller in the NFL .“
One small thing that’s happened to Brady over time is that Raiders fans seem to be starting to warm to the idea of him joining the organization.
A poll conducted three weeks ago showed that less than 17% of Raider fans did not want Brady involved with the organization…
Or maybe that’s why Raiders fans have become more accepting of Brady in recent weeks…
Twitter: @raidersbeat