The Las Vegas Raiders have been in desperate need of a culture change, as only the Cleveland Browns have had a worse record since the beginning of the 2003 NFL season. The Raiders have only reached the postseason twice in that span, failing to win a single playoff game.
Majority owner Mark Davis has continued to bring in experienced football people as he looks to shift the narrative. He also agreed to sell 10% of the team to Tom Brady and his business partner, Tom Wagner, back in May 2023, with the deal ultimately being finalized in October of 2024.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is now in his first full season as a minority owner in Las Vegas, giving the NFL world a glimpse at what his role will be going forward. However, there have already been several complaints about Brady working as both a minority owner and a FOX broadcaster.
Amy Trask reveals how Mark Davis could alienate NFL's other owners
Some have suggested that there is a serious conflict of interest if Brady continues to do both, despite the NFL and Brady denying any wrongdoing. A bigger issue is that former Raiders CEO Amy Trask suggested that Davis could alienate some of the league's other owners due to the partnership.
Brady has taken on a non-significant role with the Raiders since becoming a minority owner last year. That was challenged in Week 2, however, when he was seen in the coaching booth during Las Vegas' Monday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Trask recently appeared on Maggie and Perloff, where the Princess of Darkness warned Mark Davis and revealed why the partnership could alienate the league's 31 other owners.
"Every team has to designate a controlling owner and, of course, in the Raiders instance, that is Mark Davis. But there is someone else behind the scenes who is very, very, very involved in orchestrating a tremendous, tremendous amount with respect to the team, and that is Jim Gray," Trask said. "But ultimately, Mark Davis, and with Jim Gray's input and orchestration, he's going to have to decide whether he wants to continue to support and facilitate Tom in this role. And if he does, fair enough, but he has to understand, he's going to risk alienating some of the owners of other teams. Angering some of them, alienating some of them. And as the controlling owner, when Mark Davis goes to those one-per-club meetings at which only the controlling owner attends, I imagine that will be raised by some of the other team owners. Everybody has to make their own decisions. Are they willing to alienate or anger those with whom they do business?"
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Trask noted that Davis' father, the legendary Al Davis, had no issue alienating the other team's owners, citing the lawsuits between the Raiders and the NFL. That was fine, considering how successful the Silver and Black were.
Mark Davis' Raiders have not been a fraction as successful, however, so it might not be the smartest move to isolate themselves from the rest of the league. Brady addressed the concerns about his dual roles in his weekly newsletter.
He noted that his goal as a broadcaster is to provide fans with the best weekly experience, while he is also focused on helping Las Vegas return to the relevance it had in the days when the elder Davis and John Madden were running the show.
Ultimately, Mark Davis should do what benefits the Raiders. But Trask was able to balance out Al Davis and help the Silver and Black remain prominent in the league, so perhaps there is some merit to heeding her warnings.