A recent ruling from the NFL has created ripples that reach as far as Tom Brady, the celebrated quarterback currently on a professional hiatus. This rule, which prohibits the distribution of equity to players and staff, has taken a toll on Brady‘s aspirations of becoming an owner of the Raiders franchise.
Just a week ago, a special meeting took place with the primary agenda of moving the Commanders‘ ownership from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris. Amidst this significant shift, Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, passionately voiced his objections. He had envisioned Brady in a unique role, serving both as an employee and an equity holder in his team. This dream, however, was dashed with the new policy’s ratification.
Brady has shown interest in becoming part of the Raiders project
The consequences of this rule on Davis‘s plans are pretty big. Davis can no longer dangle the carrot of equity ownership to Brady, potentially resetting their negotiations to ground zero. The potential possibility of reaching a deal with Brady now seems highly unlikeley.
But every cloud has a silver lining. If Brady‘s bid for the Raiders ownership comes undone, he retains his status as an unrestricted free agent. He’s free to return to the gridiron for any team, any season, governed by his own timeline. He could very well watch from the sidelines and choose to step back into the fray when he feels his skills could provide a competitive edge over the current 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.