Tom Brady says ‘Fake News’ to reports that he may spurn his $375 million Fox contract

As rumors and reports spiral around Tom Brady’s future at Fox, the retired quarterback claims we shouldn’t believe them.

Brady has $375 million waiting for him from Fox to be their lead NFL analyst. The problem is, not many people really believe we’ll ever see the seven-time Super Bowl champion relegate his future to the broadcast booth.

Earlier this week, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand spoke about Brady’s future as a broadcaster with Fox on his podcast and alleged the will he, won’t he meter is starting to point toward won’t. The media insider put the odds at a 49% chance Brady does it and a 51% chance he doesn’t, sparking a rash of headlines questioning the retired quarterback’s allegiance to Fox.

Friday morning, in response to a Sports Illustrated’s Instagram post about Marchand’s report, Brady reached for the mantra of his friend and former president Donald Trump, replying with “FakeNews.” Is the “FakeNews” response enough to silence the rumors over Brady’s future at Fox? Probably not.

Brady has already waffled over his future, retiring from the NFL, unretiring, retiring again and failing to fully disavow any rumors about a second comeback. Fox has also failed to get Brady into the booth, despite signing him to a $375 million contract over a year ago. There were reports about Fox seeking to use Brady as part of its Super Bowl LVII coverage, but that didn’t materialize. Joining Fox seemed imminent again when Brady announced his retirement from the NFL in February, but he’s taking a gap year to privately practice being a broadcaster instead.

Joe Buck has admitted people at Fox are skeptical about whether Brady will eventually call a game there. Colin Cowherd has also said he heard Brady’s broadcast future might be delayed further. And we haven’t even accounted for the fact that Fox has a popular broadcaster in Greg Olsen occupying Brady’s chair.

Is Brady’s “FakeNews” declaration enough to swing the meter back to a 51% chance he joins Fox, 49% he doesn’t? Maybe. Is it enough to completely dispel any current or future rumors about Brady ultimately deciding to spurn his $375 million Fox contract? Definitely not. Until Brady actually gets in the booth for Fox, there will be skepticism over his future as a game analyst.

[Sports Illustrated]