Tom Brady recently cast doubt about his future as a broadcaster. On the DeepCut podcast with VicBlends, he left the door open for a return to the NFL, saying he wouldn’t ignore an enticing offer. However, his potential involvement as a Las Vegas Raiders owner could create league restrictions on his playing eligibility.
It’s left many in sports media — including Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod — to opine that perhaps we shouldn’t be so certain that Brady actually wants to be a football announcer. And while he has yet to quell concerns and likely won’t do so until he’s actually in the broadcast booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt, he at least proved that he’s committed to the gig with his appearance in a viral social media image this week.
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback spent some time “off the grid” with his new NFL on Fox teammates, which includes himself, Burkhardt Charissa Thompson, Erin Andrews, Jay Glazer, Rob Gronkowski, and Michael Strahan, amongst several others. Notably missing from the Instagram post was Greg Olsen, whose new role at Fox has seemingly yet to be determined.
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“No shortage of laughter or athleticism with this crew … We had ourselves a time, off the grid,” Thompson’s caption read on an Instagram post that included a massive group pic of the NFL on Fox crew.
Despite his comments, Brady’s actions speak a whole lot louder than his words, suggesting a strong commitment to Fox. He’s already done trial runs with Burkhardt. Now, he joins his fellow NFL on Fox personalities for a team-bonding retreat. And if that doesn’t showcase camaraderie and dedication to his new broadcast family, we’re not sure what does.
While this social media moment wasn’t supposed to be a referendum on Brady, it speaks volumes about his focus on this exciting new chapter in his career. At this point, all signs still point to Brady being in the booth next season, which will culminate in him calling Super Bowl LIX alongside Burkhardt.
[Charissa Thompson on Instagram]
