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Super Bowl Broadcaster Tom Brady’s Four-Word Question To Roger Goodell

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 7:41 PM ET

The eyes and ears of the nation — 202.4 million viewers watched all or part of last year's Super Bowl — will be on Tom Brady during Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The legendary NFL quarterback, who is now a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, is in the first year of a 10-year, $375 million contract as Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst. Fox is broadcasting Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Brady's seven Super Bowl titles as a player give him an unmatched resume as a broadcaster, but his increased role with the Raiders' front office has led to extreme scrutiny — and a special set of "Brady Rules" — regarding possible conflicts of interest that could arise while calling a game.

One standout example from the 2024 NFL playoffs was Brady calling the Detroit Lions game against the Washington Commanders. At the time, the Raiders were interested in Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as a candidate for their open head coaching job.

Usually, television analysts get extra time to meet with coaches throughout the week in preparation for the broadcast. Instead, Brady had to stay away from Johnson in production meetings and chose not to say his name a single time during the game to avoid any suspicion of tampering. Johnson was later hired by the Chicago Bears.

Kevin Burkhardt brings up Tom Brady being a minority owner of the Raiders and asks Brady about the head-coaching search.

After Brady's response, Burkhart adds, "You're stuck with me here at Fox for the next 10 years, whether you like it or not." #NFL pic.twitter.com/LLPVopSeMP https://t.co/yfedxBB9kZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 19, 2025

On Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that he has been in constant communication with the Fox broadcaster about potential conflicts since he started working in the booth, highlighting one question Brady asks during their "frequent" calls.

“Tom has been incredibly cooperative," Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl address at the Superdome on Monday. "He calls frequently about it and says, ‘Am I doing OK?’"

"I think he’s serious about making sure that he separates the two and he doesn’t put the league or anyone in a position of conflict,” emphasized the commissioner.

Roger Goodell says Tom Brady "calls frequently" to make sure he's balancing his owner and broadcaster responsibilities appropriately. pic.twitter.com/5ADFYcC0r9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 3, 2025

Brady's behavior on the air in Detroit seemed to support Goodell's claim that Brady is being careful and cooperative about avoiding conflicts of interest. With the support of the NFL and Fox Sports executives, it appears that Brady will be able to continue playing both his roles as an owner and a broadcaster as long as he keeps asking the important questions.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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