Pete Carroll denies report about Tom Brady’s direct involvement, even if it’s true it’s the last thing the Bears should be worried about
Chicago has bigger fish to fry in Week 3.
Tom Brady has been walking a tight rope with the NFL since retiring from being the best quarterback in NFL history. After stepping away from the field, Brady joined FOX and quickly was added to the #1 broadcast team alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
At the same time, Brady became the minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders after other NFL owners approved his purchase of a 5% stake. With the Raiders, Brady’s involvement has been a little shady to say the least with what he’s actually involved in.
Brady was reportedly active in the Raiders’ coaching search and draft process. Which first raised eyebrows when Brady was on the broadcast team for the Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders playoff matchup, giving Brady access to speak with former Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one of Las Vegas’ top coaching candidates.
Needless to say, Brady has been pushing the line when it comes to the conflict of interests of both his positions. Something that made the news once again on Monday Night Football.
During the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers game, Brady was shown sitting in the coaches box and the broadcast reported Brady meets with Raiders’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly “2-3 times a week” to go over film and game plans. After the game, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll denied the report.
“That’s not accurate. That’s not accurate,” Carroll told reporters. “We have conversations. I talk to Tom regularly, and Chip [Kelly] talks to Tom regularly. We have a tremendous asset. We all get along well and respect each other, so we all talk about life, football, or whatever. He has great insight. So, we are lucky to have him as an owner.”
The concern with Brady blurring the lines of both jobs comes into play over the next two weeks. In Week 3, Brady will be on call for the Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup. The next week, the Bears will face off against the Raiders. Giving Brady a full week to have a closeup self-scout his team’s next opponent. But, it’s not something the Bears should be worried about.
Tom Brady should not be a concern for the Bears in Week 3
To state the obvious, the Bears have bigger things to worry about in Week 3. The team is 0-2 and just surrendered 52-points to the Lions last Sunday. On top of that, the offense still isn’t operating to the level head coach Ben Johnson would prefer.
Plus, Brady has restrictions to prevent this kind of advantage. Unlike other broadcasters, Brady is not permitted to attend other teams’ practices during the week, attend team facilities, or participate in broadcast production meetings in-person (he can attend those meetings virtually). Pretty much all he can do is prepare his own notes for the game, interview players or coaches off-site, and sit in the booth, that’s hardly an advantage.
I get why people could be concerned about this looking from the outside after hearing that report on Monday night, but it’s not as big of an issue as people are making it out to be. The Bears have a job to do in both games and that’s secure a win to get this ship back on track.
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