Why has Tom Brady’s deal for Raiders ownership stalled? Everything we know about holdup on NFL legend’s stake
The confirmation of Tom Brady’s ownership bid with the Las Vegas Raiders will have to wait after The Washington Post’s Mark Maske reported that NFL team owners won’t take a vote during the annual team owner’s meeting, which starts on March 24.
Maske obtained the information from two sources who know about the owner’s deliberations. Barring any sudden changes, Brady’s ownership interest in the Raiders will remain on hold until the next owner’s meeting later this year.
Brady and his investment partner, Knighthead Capital Management co-founder Tom Wagner, will need at least 24 out of 32 votes to finalize their partial ownership bid.
Key Factors behind Tom Brady's stalled ownership deal with the Raiders
However, as Maske wrote, the owners typically follow the finance committee’s recommendations, which raised questions regarding the potential deal between Brady and Raiders principal owner Mark Davis.
The first concern was the discount Davis allegedly gave Brady for ten percent of the Raiders. As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on October 19, 2023, Davis offered Brady the stake for $175 million instead of $1.75 billion.
This deal sounded alarm bells for other owners, like the Indianapolis Colts’ Jim Irsay, who said that the investment should be reasonable.
Varying valuations put a price range to the reasonable amount Irsay identified. With Sportico valuing the Raiders franchise at $5.77 billion and Forbes having them at $6.2 billion, a reasonable ten-percent investment would be in the ballpark of $577 million to $620 million.
Meanwhile, the second concern regarding Tom Brady’s impending ownership stake with the Raiders is his ten-year, $375 million broadcasting deal with Fox Sports.
Other team owners are adamant about Brady’s potential conflict of interest because he will have access to team facilities while preparing for his role as a color commentator.
Tom Brady's Interest in Raiders ownership
It’s been ten months since Tom Brady and the Raiders started discussing partial team ownership. As part of the deal, the seven-time Super Bowl winner became part of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces ownership group.
Aside from the Aces, Brady has an ownership stake with Birmingham City FC. Meanwhile, the Raiders are not the first time the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player has been involved in NFL ownership talks. In 2022, rumors floated that the Miami Dolphins intended to sign him as their quarterback before bringing him in as a minority owner.
Tom Brady continues to grow his business empire
In addition to his role as Fox Sports’ lead NFL broadcast analyst, Brady will have several business-related responsibilities. He invested in the Major League Pickleball Team Vegas Night Owls with tennis star Kim Clijsters.
Meanwhile, his TB12 Sports merged with Nobull to strengthen its position in the sports apparel and wellness industry. Nobull provides the outfit NFL Draft prospects wear during the annual Scouting Combine.
Tom Brady founded the NFT company Autograph and two production companies, 199 Productions and Religion of Sports.