A few years back, a dear friend in the media business introduced me to an alternate meaning for the word swag, beyond the standard one, the shortened version of swagger, which is enhanced confidence.
My friend suggested that swag was actually an acronym for Stuff We Always Get, referring to the goodie bags that celebrities and athletes are often given as a thanks for their presence at an event.
That definition came to mind recently during the controversy surrounding Tom Brady, the former quarterback.
Brady, who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowls and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to one title is in his second year of a 10-year contract as the lead analyst on Fox television’s NFL broadcasts.
For that, Brady is paid the handsome sum of $37 million per year, but he was already a millionaire many times over before he donned a headset.
Indeed, his fortune, amassed between his 23-year playing career, his lucrative endorsements and his television salary, is expansive enough that he bought a five percent stake in the Las Vegas Raiders last October.
In August, the Raiders’ value was estimated at $7.7 billion by Forbes. That’s good for ninth among the 32 NFL teams. If the math is mathing, that means Brady’s share of the club comes to a shade under $385 million.
Here’s where things get interesting. Brady’s purchase was approved by the rest of the owners at the time of the sale. He was also permitted to keep his Fox gig, but with some restrictions.
Brady is not allowed to go to the facilities of teams that he will be commenting on. He is also largely restricted from participating in production meetings, where coaches and players disclose information that announcers then share with audiences during the telecasts.
The reason for the restrictions should be obvious. As an official of one team, Brady could easily take the data and observations he gets on site back to the Raiders to share with his own coaching staff in advance of any potential meetings.
Brady was in the booth for the season opener between the New York Giants and Washington, two weeks before the Raiders played the Commanders. He also called the Dallas-Chicago game Sunday a few weeks ahead of a November Cowboys-Raiders meeting.
This would just be coincidences except for the fact that Brady was caught on camera in the Raiders’ coaches booth during their game with the Chargers two weeks ago. This came with the revelation that Brady is in regular contact with members of the Las Vegas coaching staff.
In many places, this would set off alarm bells, but not in the NFL.
Brady, who as a player drew suspensions for deflating footballs and lying to the league, said in a newsletter that there were no conflicts unless the observer was quote blinded by distrust unquote.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Smilin’ Roger Goodell, leapt to Brady’s defense, telling CNBC that coaches have the right not to talk to Brady if they choose.
When it comes to Tom Brady and his conflicts, there’s just one word: chutzpah. And it means just what you think it does.
And that’s how I see it for this week. You can reach us via email with your questions and comments at Sports at Large at gmail.com. And follow me on BlueSky, Threads and X at Sports at Large.
Until next week, for all of us here and for producers Lisa Morgan and Rob Tim. I’m Milton Kent. Thanks for listening. Enjoy the games.
