Adam Minter, Columnist

The NFL Gets to Ref Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Commentary

The former football star won’t have the same freedom as other analysts to criticize all aspects of the game — just as the league likes it.

February 9, 2025 at 1:00 PM UTC

By Adam Minter

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of sports. He is the author, most recently, of “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale."

Don’t get out of bounds.
Photographer: Michael Reaves/Getty Images North America

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For the first time ever, Tom Brady will be in the Fox broadcasting booth during the Super Bowl, and that rubs many fans the wrong way. He’s not just a National Football League legend, after all; he’s part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. As a result, the NFL prohibits him from criticizing officials, among other restrictions. Can fans trust him to set aside his team’s and the league’s interests and call a fair game?

It’s an obvious conflict of interest. But anyone who thinks the league’s restrictions on Brady mean that it has a problem with him is missing the point. A conflicted analyst is an opportunity for the NFL to reassert control over how its product is — and isn’t — presented. Brady is perfect for the job.