Tom Brady was involved in his fair share of controversy during his time as the quarterback of the New England Patriots. That trend has seemingly continued after his playing career ended.
Brady won six Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but not without some outside noise. His involvement in the infamous Deflategate scandal led to a suspension. Now, Brady is retired and working as a broadcaster for FOX. However, he is also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
On "Monday Night Football,", Brady was seen in the Raiders' coaches' booth with a headset as they took on the Los Angeles Chargers, leading to outrage on social media. Brady is one of the biggest names in the history of football, and the NFL sent a clear statement on whether Brady broke any rules.
"There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches' booth or wearing a headset during a game," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in the statement, per ESPN. "Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner. All personnel sitting in the booth must abide by policies that prohibit the use of electronic devices other than league-issued equipment such as a Microsoft Surface Tablet for the Sideline Viewing System."
Just this season, the NFL started allowing Brady to attend production meetings remotely, but he is not allowed to attend team practices or conduct production meetings from inside the team facilities. Last season, he was unable to attend in any capacity. Fans and experts around the league are seemingly concerned about Brady having access to other teams' practices and facilities and then having loyalties tied to the Raiders as an owner.
"Tom continues to be prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings," McCarthy noted, per ESPN. "He may attend production meetings remotely but may not attend in person at the team facility or hotel. He may also conduct an interview off site with a player like he did last year a couple times, including for the Super Bowl. Of course, as with any production meeting with broadcast teams, it's up to the club, coach or players to determine what they say in those sessions."
Brady's status as a high-profile broadcaster, paired with some of history, makes him susceptible to such concerns from NFL fans. However, the league has made it clear that Brady has not broken any rules and is still not allowed to attend other teams' practices, stopping any potential relaying of information to the Raiders.
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