As if the greatest quarterback of all time joining an NFL broadcast booth wasn’t enough, Tom Brady is also calling the Super Bowl in his first season at Fox.
That means, as the football world descends on New Orleans, that we finally get to hear from Brady’s Fox colleagues about his performance in the booth and his apparent conflict of interest as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL on Fox director Rich Russo and producer Richie Zyontz joined the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast this week to discuss their work with Brady this season and why his restrictions haven’t affected the broadcast “at all.”
“That made for a great story, I think, an interesting story, an interesting conflict. It has not affected us at all,” Zyontz said. “I’ve been aware of what’s been written, a lot of it is misinformed. It has not affected us at all, and that is not a line of crap.”
The NFL will allow Brady to participate in production meetings this week in New Orleans with the Eagles and Chiefs, but Zyontz said top NFL analysts these days do most of their prep privately. They watch film on league platforms and talk with their own contacts around the league.
So Fox doesn’t believe Brady is missing much by sitting out of the meetings.
As for what Brady is allowed to say on television, Zyontz said there has been zero pushback from his bosses at Fox or their counterparts at the NFL league office over what Brady says on air.
“That has never come up. No one has said to me, none of my bosses have ever said what he can and can’t do,” Zyontz said. “Tom has never pulled back on what he wants to say in terms of officiating … he is allowed to criticize and no one has ever said anything different to me.”
Earlier this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he and Brady speak frequently to ensure the correct balance. While the league implemented these restrictions, it is probably in the league’s best interest for Tom Brady to succeed at Fox.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.