SI

A Lot of People Are Trying to Protect Tom Brady and It’s Pretty Ridiculous

Jim Gray whiffs on Brady interview while Fox seemingly has the former QB on lockdown.

Jimmy Traina

Tom Brady is being shielded from the media for some unknown reason.
Tom Brady is being shielded from the media for some unknown reason. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

1. This is not about Tom Brady.

I love Brady. He was my favorite player to watch for many, many years. I’ve said in this column a million times that I think he’s going to be a great analyst. I even heaped praise on him last week.

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to him briefly on the SI Media Podcast back in June, even though he was there to promote a company.

And Brady doesn’t owe me, fans, or anyone in the media anything. But the way Brady’s people seem to be going out of their way to protect him is just so bush league.

Fox won’t let him do any interviews. Forget having Brady on my podcast or another media podcast. He hasn’t even gone on with Julian Edelman. I thought for sure Brady would be the first guest on Edelman’s new podcast with Rob Gronkowski. But Brady’s interview lockdown continues.

Hell, Fox won’t even let Kevin Burkhardt do any interviews. That's how deep the Brady Protection Plan goes.

Brady played for Bill Belichick and had 350-pound defensive linemen chasing him every Sunday for 20 years, but somehow he’s gonna get rattled by a podcaster?

I’m sure the argument is that Fox and Brady’s people just want the future Hall of Famer to focus on his new job, but that’s nothing but nonsense. Brady can do an interview with Pardon My Take, for example, and still focus on his job.

Even more egregious is Jim Gray and SiriusXM. Gray had Brady on this week’s edition of Let’s Go and somehow did not ask Brady about the broadcast restrictions that have been placed on him as owner of the Raiders.

Brady is Fox’s lead NFL analyst. He’s calling the top game at 4:25 p.m. ET every week. Now he’s not allowed in the other team’s facilities, can’t attend production meetings and can’t criticize refs.

I said on last week’s SI Media Podcast that I don’t think these restrictions are a big deal and I didn’t think they would hinder Brady that much from doing his job. But the restrictions are a story and anyone who has access to Brady absolutely has to ask him about them.

Gray spoke to Brady about finally getting approved for his ownership stake in the team, but Gray didn’t bother to bring up Brady’s new challenge as a broadcaster. How is this possible?

Brady even brought up his current job as an analyst and Gray still whiffed on asking the important question.

“The best thing is just being involved with NFL football for a long time,” said Brady. “So, we'll see how things go over the course of time and what contributions I can make to the NFL in general. But I just, I love sports and I love football, and I love teams and I grew up that way. Like I said last week, a lot of things came full circle. The good part is I'm involved in Fox, which I love doing what I'm doing in broadcasting, and nothing's gonna get in the way of that for a long time.”

This was the PERFECT segue for Gray to say, “Speaking of what you’re doing at Fox, how do you think your new restrictions will affect you?”

Instead, Gray’s follow up was, “Tommy, appreciate your time as always. We’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks. Quick prediction: Dodgers or Yankees?”

Yes, that’s exactly what everyone wants to know.

2. The ManningCast gave us one of the most awkward sports television moments in recent history last night when former Ravens safety Ed Reed went on a tangent about the NFL’s new Guardian Caps. At first, Peyton tried to give a basic explanation about the protective gear while trying to move on. Then he tried ignoring Reed’s rambling. Then he just tried to change the subject.

3. Joe Buck took a little detour yesterday on his way to calling last night’s Ravens-Bucs game and brought us along for the ride.

I can’t wait to have Joe Buck on the SI Media Podcast sometime soon to learn more about Troy Aikman getting pissed at him about being late.

4. Everyone loves Dan Campbell, so you knew the reaction would be swift when former New Jersey governor and Jerry Jones BFF, Chris Christie, called the Lions coach “classless” during an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM.

Campbell responded to Christie’s insult on Monday in perfect Dan Campbell fashion.

5. I don’t know if Dodgers-Yankees will be the TV ratings bonanza that a lot of people are expecting, but when it comes to tickets, this matchup clearly has a lot of appeal.

6. The latest SI Media Podcast is an all–Traina Thoughts, all-mailbag edition with Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY.

Among the questions and topics: How will Tom Brady be affected as a broadcaster by the new restrictions put on him once he became a part-owner of the Raiders? Are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman ESPN’s biggest win over the past five years? Will Bob Costas ever call postseason baseball again? What changes should Major League Baseball make to the way the sport is broadcast during the playoffs? The problem with the WNBA’s schedule during the Finals. Which games should the NFL and NBC consider flexing out of Sunday Night Football? Where does Bobby “The Brain” Heenan rank among the greatest analysts in sports history?

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 86th birthday to Christopher Lloyd.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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