THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Piling on Tom Brady the analyst, and owner
Steve Cameron
Everybody loves Tom Brady.
Well, maybe not Gisele, his ex-wife.
Or me.
We can probably take some wild guess in Gisele’s case, but it’s harder to give you a reason in my case.
The problem isn’t Tom’s unrelenting success. I have no issue with superstars.
Got along fine with Ty Cobb, for instance.
And there were police agencies who insisted Cobb killed a carjacker in 1912.
Maybe Ty never took it that far, but he definitely was a violent character who once jumped into the stands to beat up a heckler — a man who had no hands.
“I don’t care if he has no feet,” Cobb told some cops who turned up on the scene.
OK, being serious now, I really have gotten along with all sorts of lads and ladies during a gazillion years as a journalist.
So, what’s my beef with Brady?
For one thing, he’s too slick.
He looks like a guy who built a hedge fund with other peoples’ money.
Did you see the movie “Wall Street”?
If Michael Douglas hadn’t been available to play the role of Gordon Getty, the producers could have used Brady.
It’s so, SO easy to picture Tom delivering that famous line from the flick: “Greed is good!”
I’M NOT the least bit surprised that Tom is using his popularity to push the envelope for a few hundred million — money that the NFL considers technically against the league’s rules and policies.
Just this week, Brady was approved by his (now) fellow owners as having 10 percent stake in the Las Vegas Raiders.
What a surprise.
Actually, the deal WAS the type of fiddling that would involve Brady.
If you follow the NFL at all, you’ve surely seen Tom appearing as the lead analyst for FOX, a decent gig worth $375 million over 10 years.
Presumably, he’s been following the league’s restrictions about criticizing team owners, game officials and a whole list of people involved with the NFL’s very handsome product.
In short, Tom will be expected to protect “The Shield” for a full decade.
The Athletic (owned by the New York Times) has published several stories about Brady this week, looking at his ties as both a media star and a league owner.
Will there be problems?
Here’s a snippet from a story by Richard Deitsch:
“If Brady was merely a Hall of Famer-to-be extending his connection with the NFL through ownership, it would be a story but not one with implications for those watching the product.
“Brady, as the sports world knows, debuted in September as Fox’s No. 1 NFL analyst this season alongside play-by-play voice Kevin Burkhardt.
“Fox has the broadcast rights to the Super Bowl this year, which means Brady will call the league’s most important game. He is six games into a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Corp.”
Will the mega-competitive Brady, no longer finding open receivers, but hunting viewers to admire and respect him on this new battlefield, force himself to play by the rules?
SURELY, Brady knows how good Troy Aikman has become in this same job.
Is Tom going to imitate someone?
Tony Romo?
It’s hard to picture Brady just putting himself on cruise control, taking his money and enjoying some football — without getting beat up every week.
He’s just too much of a battler for that.
The truth is that Brady really would like to play another year or two.
His real life is out on the turf.
It’s amazing, though, how $375 million can make you be honest with yourself.
Still.
Tom knows very well how he un-retired once and enjoyed the confetti of winning yet another Super Bowl.
It was pure joy.
And pure Tom Brady.
The secret is doing it once, and then running off into that mysterious Land of Legends.
If you can’t quite hack it as a broadcaster, will anyone remember you for that?
Nah.
You’re still the guy with all those Super Bowls.
It ain’t a bad life, brother.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com
Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.
Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”