Fox Sports CEO Gave a Very Short Response to Tom Brady Conflict of Interest Concerns

Eric Shanks had no interest in digging in on the issue when asked during a panel Tuesday.
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks turned down the chance to dig into the concerns over Tom Brady's potential conflict of interest as both a game analyst for the network and part owner of the Raiders.
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks turned down the chance to dig into the concerns over Tom Brady's potential conflict of interest as both a game analyst for the network and part owner of the Raiders. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Some around the NFL may be concerned with the potential conflict of interest presented by Tom Brady's dual roles as Fox's No. 1 color commentator and minority owner of the Raiders. Those at Fox don't appear to share those concerns at all.

Eric Shanks, the CEO of Fox Sports, was asked about the controversy during an appearance at Front Office Sports' Tuned In summit on Tuesday. He very flatly turned down the opportunity to chime in, stating that the network would speak to the league about it if need be.

“Not gonna answer that,” Shanks said. “If there’s a conversation that needs to be had after last night, we’ll have it.”

Brady's dual roles drew extra attention on Monday, when he was spotted in the Las Vegas coaches' box wearing a headset for the Raiders' Monday Night Football game against the Chargers.

Greg Olsen, the former player who Brady bumped from the No. 1 job at Fox, was willing to discuss the issue in more depth, saying that Las Vegas "would be silly not to" pick the all-time great's brain since he is available to the team.

“I’m not a hater. I say more power to him,” Olsen added.

Brady debuted on Fox's broadcasts last year, but was not permitted to attend production meetings ahead of games in 2024 due to his role with the Raiders. That changed in '25, as the league now permits Brady to sit in those meetings and interviews remotely, but not in person at team facilities or hotels.

The NFL released a statement Tuesday confirming that Brady did not break any rules on Monday night, but that hasn't hushed the concerns that fans and other members of the media have raised in the day since.


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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.