Tom Brady was left gobsmacked live on air in discovering that he has to work on Thanksgiving (Image: Getty)
NFL icon Tom Brady was left aghast when he discovered that his $375million (£298m) contract with FOX requires him to work on Thanksgiving Day this year. The seven-time Super Bowl champion, who signed a 10-year deal to become FOX Sports’ lead NFL analyst, has been a controversial figure since he started at the beginning of the season.
The former New England Patriots quarterback was given a reality check during “The OT” postgame show by Curt Menefee. After calling the game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, Brady was shocked to learn that his role includes working on Thanksgiving Day.
In a light-hearted exchange, Menefee said: “Hey Tom, [Michael] Strahan’s first year, he learned that he actually had to work on Thanksgiving Day. He thought he had it off. Did they tell you that before you came? You have to work on Thanksgiving Day this year,” leaving Brady visibly surprised as he responded with: “What?”
Strahan then chimed in suggesting that they should shirk their responsibilities and enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner together instead. Brady couldn’t help but laugh at the comment, as the reality of his new broadcasting career began to sink in.
The ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers ace, who also possesses a stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, finds himself in an unusual position at the network due to his ownership role. This peculiarity bars him from joining team practices or engaging in production meetings with players and coaches, as reported by Bleacher Report, reports .
On “The Varsity” podcast, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk delved into the complexities of Brady’s situation, saying: “There’s an interesting theory that’s making the rounds in league circles, because there had been teams that have said to the league, ‘We want Tom Brady to be involved in the production meetings’. And through that push and pull because the league says no, no, no, no, no exceptions even if you waive it. It doesn’t matter.”
On top of his broadcasting duties, Brady is a co-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders (Image: Getty)
Florio further suggested that Brady might actually prefer things this way, adding: “There’s been a sense that maybe Brady doesn’t really want to do it anyway. Because you think of how thinly he’s spread, all of the different things that he’s doing, it may not be that he wants to be the absolute best at everything he does.
“It may just be that he wants us to think he’s the absolute best at everything that he does, and he’s doing a lot of different things and he’s making a lot of different appearances and he’s making a lot of money.”
He further commented: “Him being an owner and him being a broadcaster I think it keeps him from being the absolute best he could ever be. And it just always seemed beneath him – he’s Tom Brady… I just wonder how many years he’ll continue to do it.”