Future Hall of Famer and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady has reportedly been interested in buying a piece of the Las Vegas Raiders for quite some time now, but Brady's role as a broadcaster for FOX has held up his being approved by the league's finance committee.
Now, it appears Brady will have to abide by "severe restrictions" if he wants to be a part owner of the Raiders, according to ESPN's Seth Wickersham.
Whether or not Brady would agree to these restrictions remains to be seen, but it appears he'll have to if he wants the deal to go through.
"The league confirmed to ESPN that among the restrictions, Brady would not be permitted to be in another team's facility, would not be permitted to witness practice and would not be permitted to attend broadcast production meetings, either in person or virtually," Wickersham wrote. "The lack of access to coaches and players before games could be the most severe restriction; those meetings, at which a broadcast crew meets with the matchup's head coaches and key players, are often a lifeblood of insight for the telecast."
There are even more restrictions beyond those. Here are the details, also per Wickersham.
• He would be prohibited from publicly criticizing game officials and other clubs. While Brady could, in theory, state that he disagrees with a call on air, he would be subject to fines or even a suspension if he went too far.
• He would be subject to the league's gambling policy.
• He would be subject to the league's anti-tampering policies. He would be permitted only "strictly social communication with members of other clubs," according to the slide that the league presented.
Both team owners and league executives have had multiple concerns about Brady's ownership bid. Not only are they concerned about Brady potentially getting his proposed 10% stake at a discounted rate, but also the conflicts of interest associated with his being an owner and a broadcaster for NFL games.
Even if Brady's ownership bid gets approved by the NFL's finance committee, it would then have to be approved by 24 of the 32 owners.