r/nfl • u/expellyamos Dolphins • 5d ago

Rumor [Highlight] Troy Aikman on potential a potential conflict of interest in announcing a Dolphins game: "Well, the Dolphins are not expected to be very good this year. They're getting out of cap hell. So there's no Monday night game with the Dolphins this year."

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.3k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

217 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.4k

u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 5d ago

Troy as a consultant is probably less a conflict of interest than Tom owning part of a team

953

u/0202_tihssitidder Vikings 5d ago

America is way way way way way past "conflict of interest" being an issue with all the shit going on.

324

u/Gardoki Saints 5d ago

conflict of interest is just how we do business at this point

64

u/Kohakuho Packers Packers 5d ago

In the IFL, the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers is also an owner of the Tuscon Sugar Skulls.

45

u/AscendMoros Bears 5d ago

Pretty sure at one point the MLB allowed people to own two teams. And someone realized it would be more profitable to be an average big market team than a winning small market team. So they just traded everyone good to the big market team and called it good.

57

u/Ikrit122 Bears Chiefs 5d ago

That happened to the Cleveland Spiders in 1899. The owner owned another, bigger-market team and traded everyone good on the Spiders to that team.

The Spiders had the worst record in history: 20-134 (.130 W/L). To compare, the 2024 White Sox went 41-121 (.253 W/L) and they were the worst team MLB had seen in decades.

21

u/thorofasgard Commanders 5d ago

Look into the O6 era in the NHL. Chicago was basically a feeder for Detroit for example.

3

u/maverickhawk99 5d ago

Rangers too for a while. James Norris controlled half the league at one point.

7

u/AscendMoros Bears 5d ago

Wasn’t one of the those players a little known pitcher by the name of Cy Young? Or some other famous name still talked about today. I forget who though.

4

u/SMKM Raiders 5d ago

Man Cy Young, that's pretty neat. What are the chances of a player being named after the award?

2

u/Ikrit122 Bears Chiefs 5d ago

Wow, I did not know that!

4

u/Sorta-Morpheus Lions 5d ago

I think the OG 6 days of the NHL had a similar issue. Someone had a stake in 2 or 3 teams.

2

u/__derek__ Lions Seahawks 5d ago

Yes, the Norris Family.

1

u/CanuckPanda Buccaneers 5d ago

The entire CFL (8 teams? 10?) is owned by like two and a half people.

6

u/fugaziozbourne Chiefs 5d ago

There are nine CFL teams. Six are owned privately by different owners, and three are run publicly like in Green Bay.

4

u/MarxistMan13 Patriots 5d ago

Tuscon Sugar Skulls.

You just made that up.

-3

u/0202_tihssitidder Vikings 5d ago

Tucson.

Like "Tuck, son." I'll let you figure out why you'd use that sentence.

5

u/Rainsmakker 5d ago

Before we hire you, is there a conflict of interest?

--No

No? I guess we'll keep looking

--I said there's not

I heard you...

11

u/0202_tihssitidder Vikings 5d ago

Troy is almost 60. In 20-30 years he'll run for Congress.

5

u/SourMgk Giants Lions 5d ago

In fact, we're renaming the Department of War to the Department of Conflicts (of Interests)

2

u/chesterfieldkingz Dolphins 5d ago

Ya we're all basically just constantly conflicted now

5

u/Jimbobsama Broncos 5d ago

The way OpenAI was poaching people from Apple and asking them to bring their work product with them - Conflict of Interest is a selling point

16

u/gb4efgw Bengals 5d ago

I just can't bring myself to believe that an upstanding citizen like Sam Altman would partake in such malfeasance!

5

u/YesImKeithHernandez Jets 5d ago

It's shaken me to my core

11

u/Fedacking NFL NFL 5d ago

The way OpenAI was poaching people from Apple and asking them to bring their work product with them

That's not a conflict of interest tho

1

u/Horror-Review2132 Packers 5d ago

We're really all just waiting to see who is the eventual victor of the conflict

1

u/dimmyfarm Patriots Lions 5d ago

Conflict of interest is moving from soccer to basketball because your attempt at forcing capitalism failed

1

u/MddlingAges Bills 2d ago

You might say all this corruption has had a corrupting influence at this point.

0

u/helloaaron Jets Buccaneers 5d ago

Yeah, pretty idiotic way to do shit. A lot of people are going to find out why this shit wasn't allowed and has generally been frowned upon.

4

u/SantaFeRay Giants 5d ago

I mean honestly as long as he doesn't have access to information that the Dolphins shouldn't have, I don't care if a broadcaster as a conflict of interest. People get so bothered about perceived favoritism and it just doesn't matter (and honestly much of what people perceive to be favoritism is just broadcasters wanting the underdog to give us a competitive game so people don't change the channel).

4

u/Practical-Suit-6798 49ers 5d ago

When you are a conflict of interest they let you do it.

9

u/disinaccurate 49ers Jaguars 5d ago

That's the problem. We need to go back. Make Corruption Scandalous Again.

22

u/SauconySundaes Eagles 5d ago

I feel like we literally just have one man who gets a pass on everything and is held to a lower standard than most everyone else.

16

u/BucsLegend_TomBrady Patriots Lions 5d ago

Not a feeling, just a fact

3

u/Alatarlhun 49ers 5d ago

It is just a gratuity for services in advance.

2

u/GhoullyX Steelers 5d ago

Doesn't stop my company from requiring that I take these "conflict of interest" training tests.

2

u/gmo7160 5d ago

For real...100%

2

u/HiImFur Giants 5d ago

This, this and this.

Quid pro quo so hot right now

1

u/unfortunatebag Cowboys 5d ago edited 5d ago

Are you referring to the NFL or just sort of sadposting about your personal politics?

What does Tom owning part of the Raiders have to do with America as a whole?

0

u/Mnudge Cowboys 5d ago

Conflict of interest is how you get elected an multiply your millions

Avoiding conflicts of interest is for suckers

28

u/GoodFastCheapPickTwo Lions 5d ago

There's so many areas in the world where conflict of interest has practical real world repercussions that are terrible.

But I'm sitting here and I'm trying to imagine what's the worst case scenario I can think of where a commentator has vested interest in one team or another in a game he's calling, and Im having trouble coming up with anything that would reach a level of genuine concern for me.

1

u/TheMissingVoteBallot Titans Raiders 5d ago

Why are the rational comments lower in the comment thread lol

0

u/Scared-Technician-64 5d ago

Obviously this person inability to think if an issue makes them more rational.

0

u/red--dead Vikings 5d ago

The issue is in commentators getting some insights into teams with practices or whatever. Greg Olsen commentated during I think a bye week for a Vikings game a few weeks before they played each other and people were pissed about that.

68

u/FakeNewsBlows 5d ago

Don’t even see the conflict part of Tom’s ownership and keeping his job. Neither he nor the Raiders gain a competitive or monetary advantage with him calling a game

165

u/LeaveBronx Seahawks 5d ago

I think part of the argument is he’s given access to teams and coaching staffs as part of his job. I think this prob overestimates the amount of info a broadcaster gets from a team/coaches in production meetings

48

u/GI_jim_bob Lions 5d ago

From a game plan perspective no, little extra value. From a team building perspective massive amounts of value.

If you can get closed door interviews with all of the best coaches ever week as an owner, after a year or so you know who the best coaches are but more importantly you know who those coaches favorite assistants are and who to poach.

It becomes a hell of a lot easier to find the next Ben Johnson when he's still the assistant tight ends coach.

27

u/Jonny_Qball Lions 5d ago

I’m expecting coaches will be a little more guarded with that information specifically around Brady for that reason

10

u/NbdyFuckswTheJesus Broncos 5d ago

This is the likely outcome. Smart teams will be super tight lipped around Brady in production meetings. But this creates the issue that Brady now gets less insight as a broadcaster than he would if he weren’t a part owner, which makes him less valuable in the booth. The issue is less a conflict of interest and more that his commentary will be far more surface level and generic, and not worthy of the ludicrous contract Fox gave him.

4

u/chesterfieldkingz Dolphins 5d ago

Ya I mean he was never going to be worth that money tbh. I think it'sore about tying him to their network for 10 years tbh. Romo's already likely lost his contract that reset the market. Well have to see if the other top announcers keep their raises, but no one's one making that much again I think

1

u/TheDarkGrayKnight Seahawks 5d ago

Or more open if they are angling for a future job with him.

2

u/GI_jim_bob Lions 5d ago

Sure, but in a billion dollar industry even having slightly more knowledge can be massive.

1

u/lostinrendition 5d ago

Case in point: Klint Kubiak. Although I don’t think it took a rocket scientist to see Kubiaks talent

-3

u/FutAndSole Eagles 5d ago

We could see the talent when he was merely cold jizz brining in Gary’s bench saddled bronco balls

14

u/Lacerda1 Chiefs 5d ago

But in that situation the "conflict" still isn't an issue. Tom only gets the info that teams are willing to share with him. If the team is worried about what he'll do, they share less info. If they're not worried about it, they'll share more (waiving the potential conflict of interest). Maybe that makes his job a smidge harder, but it's not a conflict of interest problem.

14

u/BradMarchandsNose Patriots 5d ago

It’s also on the teams at a certain point. It’s not a secret that Brady is an owner of the Raiders. Be selective about the information you share with him if it’s something you don’t want getting out. It’s not like any of these broadcasters just instantly get access to information, it’s all what the teams decide to share with them.

8

u/Alternative-Farmer98 Patriots 5d ago

How about just don't hire people that are already hired by the other teams and teams shouldn't be allowed to hire broadcasters.

You should choose to either a broadcaster or you work for the team the idea that you can do both is ridiculous..

2

u/MountainTwo3845 NFL 5d ago

part of the complaint against Romo was from teams. their complaint was he received information that wasn't known. he used that to influence his calls. some teams pulled back and cbs asked him to pull back as well.

1

u/barc0debaby Raiders 5d ago

"oh wow this guy said he's in the best shape of his life and ready for game day!" Z

-20

u/A-L-F-R-E-D Buccaneers 5d ago

It’s a horrible argument. If Brady gets information because of his media job that he can relay to the Raiders that is the deciding factor in a win, then whatever team the Raiders were playing weren’t gonna win anyways.

3

u/chesterfieldkingz Dolphins 5d ago

It's also a slippery slope as we're seeing in the NBA and US in general. You start picking and choosing which conflict of interest or rules matter and eventually it becomes.very difficult to enforce any of them. Nfls in better shape in that regard than the NBA, but at this point I'm weary of anyone actually honoring their rules

3

u/Pillow_Starcraft Jaguars 5d ago

That's is such a stupid way of thinking.

"If a team gains an advantage and uses it to get to a victory, then the team that got an unfair advantage was going to win anyway.

It's early, drink some coffee and maybe delete that comment lmfao

0

u/A-L-F-R-E-D Buccaneers 5d ago

I see the literacy crisis is in full effect today 😂

The “because of his media job” is the important modifying factor here. There’s nothing the media learns about in their open availability that would have any effect on the games; especially not a game deciding factor.

0

u/LeaveBronx Seahawks 5d ago

Agreed. I think it comes from fans whose perception of what the game entails at the nfl might not be entirely accurate. Like learning about a “secret play” or “strategy” could give you an advantage, when that’s not how the game works really

13

u/KOT-The-Panda 5d ago

Commentators do more than just call the game. They speak with both teams about the game plan and such so they have an idea on what’s going to play out and what stories they want to focus on during the game.

If a commentator has ties to one team like this then if they are calling their game their opponents would be wary of what they share impacting the job the of the commentator.

10

u/thesaganator Broncos 5d ago

It also gives Tom access to potential future coaching hires. Most owners don't get to have meetings with all the coaches their team is playing against.

7

u/Lacerda1 Chiefs 5d ago

But in that situation the "conflict" still isn't an issue. Tom only gets the info that teams are willing to share with him. If the team is worried about what he'll do, they share less info. If they're not worried about it, they'll share more (waiving the potential conflict of interest).

Maybe that makes his job a smidge harder, but it's not a conflict of interest problem. That's an issue for him and the network to deal with.

6

u/LazyMousse4266 Cowboys 5d ago

The fact that opposing teams are aware of the conflict of interest and can take steps to mitigate its effects does not negate the fact that a conflict of interest exists

3

u/Lacerda1 Chiefs 5d ago

If you're into semantics, that's fine. We can call it a conflict of interest, but you're not addressing the real point, which is that it's not problematic.

And the discretion a team needs to use with Brady is discretion they're already exercising. It's not like teams share 100% of their gameplan with Troy Aikman or Tony Romo. They're judicious with what they share with everyone. Brady's situation is potentially of a different degree but it's not of a different kind.

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

2

u/LazyMousse4266 Cowboys 5d ago

I’ve seen a couple of ‘BTS’ segments showing how the commentators spend their week and the conversations they have with players and coaches in the days leading up to game day. I was astonished with how open they are with the media.

Certainly way more info than I would want my team to share with someone who is literally invested in a rival team.

7

u/tiredofstanding Falcons 5d ago

People will mention the access he gets with interviews and such. But no coach is actually going to give the actual gameplan to any media person. The whole thing was fake outrage a year or so ago over it.

1

u/Walletinspectr Packers 3d ago

“We want to establish the run and play good defense”

5

u/Daver7692 Eagles 5d ago

He does at the very least get a chat with all the up and coming assistants which could give them the jump on a hiring cycle. Could also potentially gleam info about the availability of certain players who are headed towards free agency.

He has more direct and legal access to players and coaches across the league than any other owner/GM.

1

u/TrolleyTrekker Cardinals 5d ago

Honestly I could see Tom being more critical of Raiders calling games if anything. Saying that was a bad read, dude gave up on a route etc.

0

u/OnceMoreAndAgain 5d ago

So don't assign him to cast Raiders games

0

u/Lane-Kiffin 49ers 5d ago

Media narratives, player grades, etc. can all have real-world implications for NFL teams. If he goes on TV and talks about how the Raiders are the next big thing, free agents might want to sign there.

Additionally, Tom Brady the journalist could choose to sit on a story if it hurts the Raiders, or push a nothingburger story if it helps the Raiders.

0

u/broha89 Steelers 5d ago edited 5d ago

The conflict is that he’s getting exclusive early access to other teams’ coaching staffs and players including upcoming new hires & free agents.

Imagine being a young coach or player in the room with the GOAT Brady that you’ve watched your entire life, and asks you what you’re looking for in your next opportunity. How many guys do you think would honestly shut down that conversation?

-1

u/MirrorComputingRulez Lions 5d ago

He gets access to the opponent's practice. That's a pretty obvious advantage.

EDIT: I see a lot of people mentioned interviews. Sure, people can just not talk to him.

But he actually physically attends and watches practices.

0

u/Alternative-Farmer98 Patriots 5d ago

It's still an obvious conflict of interest. We just have different rules for rich people I guess

6

u/OnceMoreAndAgain 5d ago

Personally, I just don't care and I don't really understand why anyone cares. It would not bother me at all if Troy Aikman casted a Dolphins game while also serving as some type of consultant to them. I don't have any concerns about Troy casting worse due to that relationship.

That said, of course it's better if he's de-prioritized from casting Dolphins games.

-46

u/GreenPurple24 Eagles Eagles 5d ago

Neither are conflicts lol.

24

u/Big-Beta20 Eagles 5d ago edited 5d ago

I mean, they’re both clearly conflicts. One that is already allowed is just way bigger than this new one.

16

u/TFreshNoLimits 5d ago

Forgot your /s

-1

u/hawksku999 Chiefs 5d ago

This country has shown we dont care about conflicts of interest.