The “Brady Rules” are basically done.
The NFL will allow Tom Brady, Fox Sports’ top TV game analyst and Las Vegas Raiders minority owner, to take part in production meetings with coaches and teams this season, sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic.
In Brady’s rookie broadcasting year, he was banned from these information-gathering sessions for nearly the whole season. The rules were in place due to his ownership stake. The NFL relented for the Super Bowl.
Brady’s play-by-play partner, Kevin Burkhardt, and other crew members would inform Brady of what was said in the meetings. The sessions, with coaches and players, can reveal nuggets that can be used during the broadcast. They take place over Zoom and/or in person.
Brady is still expected to be barred from team practices, as he was last year.
Fox Sports and the NFL declined to comment.
During February’s Super Bowl, which Brady broadcast for Fox, the NFL suspended the Brady Rules for the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt was instrumental in originally advocating for the regulations against an owner from a rival AFC West team.
Brady, 48, is entering the second season of his 10-year, $375 million contract. He will debut this year on Sept. 7, for Fox’s 1 p.m. ET game between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.
Brady will not call the Super Bowl this season, as NBC has the game. He and the top crew will be on the late Sunday afternoon games, Thanksgiving and the playoffs, including the NFC Championship Game. His first spotlight late afternoon game is Week 2, as Fox has the Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles.
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
