The debate about whether Tom Brady should be allowed to be both the Fox Sports lead color commentator and a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders rages on.
Brady personally owns a 5% stake in the Raiders. With such a small percentage of ownership influence, NFL fans figured Las Vegas could be a side project for Brady.
The Athletic’s senior NFL insider Dianna Russini is completely changing that narrative.
In an episode of the Bill Simmons podcast, Russini claimed that Brady is as hands on as any owner in the NFL.
“He is involved in everything!” Russini said. “First of all, it’s Tom Brady. What does he care about, nevertheless have ownership in, and just goes ‘Oh, I want nothing to do with that?’ Of course he’s involved in this.”
“I think he’s informed daily of things that are happening and he has a say. And I think he’s in contact with the stars of that team.”
Russini’s comments come amidst the release of a new show on Amazon Prime Video called “Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues”. The show rivals “Welcome to Wrexham” and chronicles Brady’s (often very cutthroat) involvement as new owner of Birmingham City FC.
Russini’s remarks on Simmons’s podcast are not going to be taken lightly as the debate about Brady rages on nationally.
Questions Arose When Brady Appeared At Raiders Training Camp
The debate about Brady’s FOX role came to light again after he appeared at Raiders Training Camp on Friday August 1, 2025.
He was seen wearing Raiders merchandise and even talking to several players, notably Raiders rookie WR Dont’e Thornton.
Russini and Simmons trashed on Brady for wearing Raiders merch during the podcast episode. They said he should be required to wear something more neutral.
He also reunited with several of his former teammates that he won Super Bowls with, including WR Jakobi Meyers, LB Elandon Roberts, DT Adam Butler, LB Devin White, and G Alex Cappa.
Brady obviously wants to see what is going on with his new team for himself. That enthusiasm is what many NFL fans take issue with. They think it will make him a biased commentator. Or, they suspect he will gain intel through his commentating duties that will give the Raiders a competitive advantage.
Russini Also Trashed the Raiders Organization
Diana Russini didn’t stop at saying Brady has a massive role with Las Vegas. She also trashed the entire franchise for several minutes on the Bill Simmons podcast.
Firstly, she said Maxx Crosby is the “only star” on the Raiders. That’s despite the Raiders having arguably the best tight end in the league in Brock Bowers, for starters.
She also said none of the high profile coaches would have interviewed for the Raiders job if Brady wasn’t involved in the coaching search. Russini named new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson in particular as someone who wouldn’t have even given Las Vegas a chance if “just” Raiders owner Mark Davis was on the phone with him.
She also said Brady is going to try to make the Raiders not “a dump” but questioned his ability to do that.
All of these comments clearly show Russini’s opinion of the Raiders franchise — poor.
It seems a little ironic that she’s worried about Brady’s feelings about the Raiders affecting his FOX coverage. She’s clearly let her feelings affect her coverage of the Raiders.
But what do you think about Tom Brady’s ownership, Raiders fans? Will his role with the Raiders help them reach new heights? Should he be allowed to work at FOX while with the Raiders?
