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Fox Sports Executive Breaks Silence On 'Ridiculous' Tom Brady Narrative

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Jan 17, 2025 5:09 PM ET

Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt will be on the call tomorrow for the Divisional round game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders, and some who cover the league are raising questions.

In addition to his role as FOX's top color commentator for NFL games, Brady is a minority owner in the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are currently evaluating Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next head coach, a process that Brady is reportedly highly involved in.

Some have said that there is a conflict of interest in Brady owning a team and commentating on a game featuring potential targets for that team, but one Fox Sports executive sees things differently.

“To me, the questioning of someone’s integrity to say there is a conflict of interest is ridiculous and that’s a shame,” Fox Sports' president of programming and production Brad Zager told The Athletic.

“Is there a conflict of interest Monday night when Kirk Herbstreit calls Ohio State in the national championship game? Was there a conflict of interest of Joe Davis calling the Dodgers in the World Series?"

As Zager alluded to, Herbstreit attended and played at Ohio State, while Davis does play-by-play locally for the Dodgers when not on national television.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 12: Former NFL Player Tom Brady looks on prior to the NFC Wild Card Playoff between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

“For somebody to say there’s a conflict of interest in that Tom Brady can’t go in a booth and call a Lions game because the possibility of a Raiders coaching search could include, maybe people from Detroit, maybe from Washington, maybe from any team — since they haven’t hired anyone yet — is questioning his integrity. It’s questioning his professionalism. I just don’t understand it on any level.”

Brady is set to call Saturday's game, the NFC championship, and in his first season as a broadcaster, the Super Bowl for Fox Sports. According to his agent Don Yee, he will also be back for the 2025 season.

We'll see if Brady's potential recruitment of Johnson - or any other coach or player - affects his commentary on Saturday night.

Fans can tune into the game on FOX at 8 PM ET tomorrow night.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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