Tom Brady defends dual roles as broadcaster, Raiders minority owner amid 'point of conflict' chatter

Tom Brady has been in the headlines recently as the NFL world continues to wonder if his two new jobs include a conflict of interest. Not only is Brady a color commentator for Fox, but he's also a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, which gives him a certain level of access to coaches, players and information. In his role as a Raiders minority owner, Brady wants to see the team succeed and can influence decisions. He was most notably in the Raiders' coaches booth wearing a headset during the Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

It has already been established that Brady speaks with Raiders coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Even former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Brady was an asset during their time together. In his weekly newsletter, Brady addressed the speculation around his two gigs and defended himself by saying there's no "point of conflict," unless you're just "paranoid and distrustful."

"I love football. At its core it is a game of principles," Brady wrote. "And with all the success it has given me, I feel I have a moral and ethical duty to the sport; which is why the point where my roles in it intersect is not actually a point of conflict, despite what the paranoid and distrustful might believe. Rather, it's the place from which my ethical duty emerges: to grow, evolve, and improve the game that has given me everything."

As a broadcaster, Brady said he wants viewers to feel like "they got their money's worth," and like every broadcaster, he wants to "entertain and inform." As a minority owner, Brady said he wants to see the Raiders return to "glory." He wants the team to have talented, coachable players that "know how to do their jobs in pursuit of team success."

No problem here, Brady said, unless you're "blinded by distrust."

"When you live through uncertain and untrusting times like we are today, it is very easy to watch a person's passions and profession intersect, and to believe you're looking at some sort of dilemma," Brady wrote. "Because when you're blinded by distrust, it's hard to see anything other than self-interest."

Despite Brady's explanation, not everyone is going to be convinced this is a fair situation. If Brady is better at one thing than quarterbacking, it's competing. Now that he has a vested interest in seeing the Raiders succeed, how involved will he be? 

Is it possible Brady is just simply giving back to the game in two different ways at the same time? Or is it fair to be on guard against someone in these positions?

"People who are like that, particularly to a chronic, pathological degree, are telling on themselves," Brady wrote. "They're showing you their worldview and how they operate. They're admitting that they can only conceive of interests that are selfish; that they cannot imagine a person doing their job for reasons that are greater than themselves."