NFL: Tom Brady Broke No Rules by Appearing in Raiders Coaching Booth

The NFL says you can stop your angry tweets and calm down. Tom Brady violated no NFL rules by appearing in the Raiders coaching booth with a headset on Monday Night Football.

Brady sparked much controversy Monday night when he appeared in the Raiders’ coaches’ box, complete with a headset.

The visual of this seemed to buttress the already held suspicion of many that Brady’s status as owner and broadcaster put him in a position of inherent conflict of interest.

The NFL, however, sees it differently.

“There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches’ booth or wearing a headset during a game,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner.

“All personnel sitting in the booth must abide by policies that prohibit the use of electronic devices other than league-issued equipment, such as a Microsoft Surface Tablet for the Sideline Viewing System.”

The statement also stressed that Brady is “prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings.”

Now, lest anyone get confused by the report issued during the offseason, which said Brady was allowed to attend production meetings, the issue here is where the meeting is held. The league and Fox Sports did indeed relax their rules on allowing Brady to attend production meetings, as long as he attends them remotely.

A point stressed by McCarthy in his statement.

“Tom continues to be prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings,” McCarthy said. “He may attend production meetings remotely, but may not attend in person at the team facility or hotel. He may also conduct an interview off-site with a player, like he did last year a couple of times, including for the Super Bowl. Of course, as with any production meeting with broadcast teams, it’s up to the club, coach, or players to determine what they say in those sessions.”

Of course, even if Brady isn’t physically present at the facility, it may not limit or restrict the amount of information Brady could glean from a production meeting. McCarthy’s other point, however, is significant: NFL teams and players control what they say in production meetings.

In saying this, McCarthy puts the responsibility back on the teams: If you’re worried about revealing potentially damaging information to an opposing team’s owner, don’t say it.