And the $375 million TV man definitely has more power than commissioner Roger Goodell
NFL pundits slam Tom Brady and his conflict of interest
That’s the only plausible scenario, after the late-night instalment of Monday Night Football was taken over by one of the most stunning images in NFL history.

Brady taunts NFL by going full villain

A camera panned away from an AFC West game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders, and zoomed in on the Raiders’ coaching booth.

“I was wondering how much involvement that Brady had with this team,” said ESPN’s Peter Schrager, in a perfect lead-in to the most absurd story in American sports.

Brady was soon displayed in the Raiders’ coaching booth.

And he wasn’t sipping on a cold beverage or signing autographs.

The lead NFL analyst for FOX Sports was wearing a headset while sitting in the middle of Las Vegas’ coaching staff, all while the Raiders were playing on the field below.

“(Offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly told us that he talks to Brady two to three times a week,” said Schrager, raising the bar on in-game sideline reporting.

“They go through film. They go through the game plan. And Brady is a luxury for the coaches.”

Raiders lose to Chargers but Brady wins big

It’s the United Kingdom-equivalent of Jamie Carragher sitting on Liverpool’s bench and whispering coaching tips in Arne Slot’s ear, while calling a live match inside Anfield for Sky Sports.

Or Charles Barkley hanging out in the Phoenix Suns owner’s suite and saying Kevin Durant is washed on a revamped Inside the NBA at the same time.

Tom Brady is receiving special NFL access while hurting the league’s imageCredit: talksport

Brady, right, wore a headset in the Raiders’ coaching boothCredit: x@awfulannouncing

He was focused on the game and helps out the Raiders’ staffCredit: x@awfulannouncing
A stronger Goodell would have been steaming, clenching his fists and shouting at the screen, while vowing to erase the NFL’s worst conflict of interest in decades.

But the Goodell who once knocked out the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints is now invisible, while Brady keeps flaunting his personal power as one of the NFL’s top TV voices and a Raiders minority owner.

Thanks to the watered-down Brady Rules, he can easily spill inside info to Las Vegas — and it’s silly to think it doesn’t happen weekly, as the Raiders try to one-up the NFL’s other 31 teams in a cutthroat league defined by razor-thin margins.

“Just ridiculous that he’s allowed to work for FOX,” one fan tweeted.

“Shouldn’t be allowed,” a second fan posted.

“How is this acceptable to the NFL???” a third fan wrote. “Is this not a conflict of interest?”

Raiders owner Mark Davis, center, has turned Brady into a special weaponCredit: Getty

Pick a side and stick to it, Tom

It obviously is.

Goodell is just choosing to ignore it, in the endless pursuit for another billion dollars as the league pushes for $25bn in annual revenue.

“I’m sure there is plenty of grousing in some front offices about, ‘Why does this guy who helps operate one of our rival teams get access on a level that we don’t grant to executives with other teams, or even the media in a lot of cases,’ ” NFL insider Dan Graziano exclusively told talkSPORT before Week 1.

“It’ll be interesting to watch it going forward and if someone does raise a stink or if we see evidence, that maybe some of those conflicts of interest might be seeping into the coverage.”

The slow seep became a flood on Monday, while Brady’s Raiders fell 20-9 to the Chargers.

Attending production meetings and speaking with potential free agents or trade candidates on the field before games is one thing.

Brady used to be best known as the Patriots’ star quarterbackCredit: AFP
Fixing Birmingham City feels more legit, while Brady getting involved with flag football is a sideshow.

Brady being allowed to wear a headset in the Raiders’ coaching booth on ESPN during one of the NFL’s weekly flagship events is so ridiculous that it barely makes sense.

Raiders face Chiefs in Week 7

The seven-time Super Bowl winner and GOAT of quarterbacks called the Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs game for FOX on Sunday.

The Raiders play the Chiefs in Week 7, which means that Brady can share free inside information with Las Vegas’ coaching staff and scouts at any point before kickoff.

Goodell and NFL owners have the power to force Brady to pick a side — the Raiders or announcing.

It should have never gotten this far, and Goodell owes devoted NFL fans an apology for allowing the biggest sport in America to be dragged down by a Raiders fan who’s somehow been allowed to hang out in a professional coaches’ booth.