The “Brady Rules” will be partially suspended for the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady, Fox Sports’ Super Bowl game analyst and a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner, will be allowed to take part in the Kansas City Chiefs’ production meetings leading up to Sunday’s game, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told reporters Tuesday. This marks a change to the rules Brady has been subjected to as a minority owner, which include Brady not being allowed to criticize officials, not being permitted to be in another team’s facility, to witness practice or to attend broadcast production meetings, either in person or virtually.
Brady will still be barred from Chiefs practices, though the rest of the crew — play-by-play caller Kevin Burkhardt and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi — will be allowed to attend.
On Sunday, the Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Sources briefed on the NFL decision confirmed Brady can also meet with the Eagles, but not attend practice.
When the “Brady Rules” were implemented, sources briefed on the move by the NFL, said Hunt was one of the team owners instrumental in wanting the restrictions put in place, not wanting the rival Raiders to gain any advantages. Hunt said Monday that he has “no issues” with Brady.”
“When (Brady) was approved as an owner of the Raiders, there were a lot of discussions internally (among owners) and that ended up being the recommendation of the league office, that it didn’t make sense to have him in the production meetings,” Hunt said. “That’s where that rule came from. Since he’s doing the game this week, we have no issue with him being in our production meetings. He’ll have the access that any broadcaster would have.”
In November, Sports Business Journal reported the NFL could expand its conflict of interest rules related to Brady. The issue was Brady’s interview with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. SBJ said the NFL’s finance committee would examine if these types of sitdowns should contain additional conditions so Brady doesn’t receive any information he shouldn’t as a Raiders’ owner.
One idea reportedly being considered is that any interaction with a player would be aired publicly to prohibit private conversations with a rival owner.
Pro Football Talk reported in October that the Buffalo Bills were one team willing to waive the “Brady Rules” for a game where Brady was part of the broadcast team. The request was denied by the NFL, according to PFT.
During NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual news conference Monday, Goodell said Brady frequently calls into his office to ask, “Am I doing OK?” The answer is apparently yes, though, Goodell added that they will examine the rules again in the offseason.
“In the case of this actual transition, we had special rules for this,” Goodell said. “That’s something we’ll obviously consider in the offseason — should that policy be adjusted? Right now, Tom has been incredibly cooperative.”
