Dan Patrick takes issue with NFL lifting Tom Brady’s broadcasting restrictions: ‘Pick one or the other’

Earlier this week, reports emerged that the NFL had removed the restrictions placed on Tom Brady in his debut season at Fox last year on attending production meetings with coaches and teams. And while some are eager to see whether this could enhance Brady’s ability as a broadcaster. Dan Patrick views this decision as preferential treatment for a legend of the game that is unfair to other broadcasters.

Last season, much was made of Brady both serving as the lead color analyst for Fox’s coverage of the NFL and serving as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, with many raising concerns about whether these responsibilities were a conflict of Brady’s interests.

The restrictions placed on Brady by the NFL, which included being unable to attend production meetings or have any access to players or coaching personnel ahead of games he was calling, largely calmed any complaints of there being a true conflict of interest from Brady.

Now that those restrictions have been lifted, as they were for Fox’s Super Bowl LIX broadcast, Dan Patrick again raised concerns that Brady should have to choose between pursuing broadcasting and being a minority owner of an NFL team.

“He shouldn’t be in these production meetings,” said Patrick on Thursday’s edition of The Dan Patrick Show. “You are a minority owner of the Raiders. He was still involved with a team that was involved in the two biggest cheating scandals of all time, correct? His team was involved in Spygate, there was Deflategate. He shouldn’t be involved in these meetings. Pick one or the other. The NFL wants Tom to be there doing the games, I get that. But now you are kind of changing the rules just so Tom can go into these meetings. He does need to be in those meetings. If you want to be a broadcaster, be a broadcaster. Go into those meetings, be professional, and they are going to treat you as such, a professional.

“But if I am a coach and I play the Raiders at some point this season, how forthcoming do you want to be here? Tom can ask you anything you want. Now, you don’t have to answer that. But I don’t know, somebody has got a banged-up ankle, probably will be that way all season long. Who knows what information comes out? I just think you have got to be fair to being either a minority owner, who is very active, from what I am told, or you are gonna be a broadcaster.”

“He shouldn’t be in these production meetings. You’re a minority owner of the Raiders.”

– DP reacts to the NFL now allowing Tom Brady in the FOX production meetings. pic.twitter.com/360DKvigAe

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 28, 2025

It is worth noting that while Brady will now be able to take part in production meetings, there are still a number of things that Brady will still be unable to do. Brady will still be unable to attend team practices, and will be attending production meetings remotely and not in person.

Still, depending on how hands-on his role with the Raiders truly is, which has been debated since he stepped into the role last year, it’s hard not to consider his role at Fox could give him insight into the rest of the NFL that other minority owners simply don’t have.