Tom Brady was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1995 MLB Draft but never made it to spring training. He might finally get to rectify that nearly three decades later.
The quest to establish Brady, the legendary New England Patriots quarterback, as Fox Sports' lead NFL color commentator is fully underway: Brady recently revealed that he was already engaged in "really dry runs" with broadcast partner-to-be Kevin Burkhardt as he prepares to embark upon the first year of a $375 million contract.
Some are perplexed by Brady's record deal, especially considering his lack of broadcast experience. X user Ken Gill proposed Brady get over that hurdle by calling games for the United Football League, the next attempt at spring football set to get underway in March.
"Tom should do the UFL games on (Fox) to better prepare himself for the fall NFL season,' Gill proposed. "Frankly that’s what UFL was built for, to mold players, coaches, front office, and broadcasters for the next level."
The UFL is the result of a merger between two recent spring leagues, the XFL and the USFL. Both were rebooted attempts at prior failures but the two found enough traction to justify a relatively shared existence that brought together four teams from each eight-squad grouping.
Gill tagged XFL owner Dwayne Johnson and president Russ Brandon, as well as USFL executive vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston. He received a reply from Johnston, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. The Pro Bowl fullback entertained the idea of Brady leaping into a UFL booth.
"I think this is a fantastic idea!" Johnston declared. "Similar to the old NFL Europe model that launched many a great broadcaster into their next career. Brilliant!"
To Johnston's point, several former legends of the game prepared for the booth by calling games for Fox's coverage of the NFL's overseas developmental league that ran over the summer. Johnston, who continues to call games for Fox, was among them, as was fellow former Cowboy Troy Aikman, who occupied the spot Brady's about to take over for over two decades.
Brady's immediate predecessor Greg Olsen called XFL games for Fox before he and Burkhardt took over for Aikman following his move to ESPN's "Monday Night Football" along with Joe Buck.
With no obvious star power lingering in the UFL, Brady's broadcasting debut would perhaps serve as the biggest boon for spring football since the professional wrestling-style kayfabe gimmicks drew eyes to the original attempt at XFL football in 2001. Time will tell if he accepts Johnson's appar offer.
The inaugural UFL season gets underway on March 30 with a showdown between respective defending champions Arlington and Birmingham.
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