When NFL fans watch the Detroit Lions in the playoffs, they may experience something new.
There is a good chance they will hear an NFL owner providing commentary on the very coaches he may hire.
After firing head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly asked to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Fox will be covering the NFC playoffs and the Super Bowl, and Tom Brady, who is a minority owner of the Raiders, will be the color commentator for Fox’s No. 1 broadcast team. As a minority owner, Brady is also expected to be deeply involved in the Raiders’ coaching search, which includes interviewing candidates and advising the team’s main owner, Mark Davis.
Unless the Lions are eliminated early or an unexpected change happens, Fox’s game coverage will have a clear conflict of interest.
How can Tom Brady provide unbiased commentary about coaches he’s interviewing for the Raiders’ job, especially since he is a minority owner?
The Lions, as the No. 1 NFC seed, have a bye in the wild-card round and will play their first playoff game in the divisional round. Fox will cover two NFC games that weekend, and the network could avoid the issue by sending Brady and Kevin Burkhardt to cover the other NFC game.
But Fox may just send Brady to Detroit, even though it’s a tricky decision to have an NFL owner in the broadcast booth. If the Lions win in the divisional round, the conflict would continue if Brady stays in the booth.
There is only one NFC championship game and one Super Bowl. If the Lions go far in the playoffs, Brady will have to comment on Johnson and Glenn while interviewing them, which could make it difficult for him to offer honest critiques.
This creates a conflict for Brady as viewers expect commentary that is fair and unbiased. What will Brady do if Johnson or Glenn makes mistakes that cost the Lions a playoff game? Will he criticize them, or will he hold back to avoid damaging his relationships with potential coaching candidates?
At the same time, other teams looking for coaches are at a disadvantage. If the Lions do well and Brady praises Johnson and Glenn, he would be the only NFL owner with a head coaching vacancy who can do this on such a big stage.
The NFL has put some limits on Brady’s role as both an owner and broadcaster, but they have not addressed this conflict of interest, which could become very apparent during the playoffs.
