Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has long been a supporter of Fernando Mendoza.
Obviously, Brady was going to have to sign off on a Raiders quarterback acquisition, no matter what it was, but it remained to be seen what kind of role he would take on in either developing or supporting that player. With Mendoza, it seems as if Brady is being fairly hands-on.
Before the Indiana product even officially donned the Silver and Black, Brady made it clear to the young quarterback that he was going to push him. And although he can't purely pull from his experiences while mentoring him, Brady has seemingly already given Mendoza some great advice.
But just how confident is Brady that Mendoza can finally turn the tide in Las Vegas? It's one thing to say it or to just jump on board with the hype that naturally comes with No. 1 overall pick. But Brady is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to The Nandolorian (okay, we'll work on it).
Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady invests in expensive Fernando Mendoza rookie card
Late last week, Brady, a FOX NFL broadcaster, appeared on FOX Business to, for some reason, talk about the Raiders' young quarterback. Brady gave his formuliac and humdrum answer about Mendoza, stating that he is no different from the other rookies in Las Vegas.
"I love Fernando, but Fernando is like every other young rookie. He's got to go out there and earn it like everybody else," Brady said. "And I'm excited about the opportunity for our team to have him as the first overall pick; he's done a lot of hard work to get to this point. But at the same time, like everyone at their age, none of these young players, none of these rookies, have ever had a meaningful snap in the NFL. Their career and their journey will be determined by the work that they put in, by the adversities that they overcome, by the kind of teammate and team player that they are."
That is all fine and dandy. As a minority owner, maybe it is best not to favor some young players over others or to anoint one prematurely. That way, you don't put any pressure on a player before they've played a snap or divide the locker room by making one youngster stand out as a favorite.
That's not what Brady ultimately did, though.
Days later at Fanatics Fest, Brady revealed that he purchased a very expensive Fernando Mendoza rookie football card, the only one of its kind. Not only is that in direct defiance of what he said on Fox Business, but it is him putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to his belief in Mendoza.
"There happens to be a first overall pick that plays for the Raiders. There's a Fernando Mendoza card that came out that I said, 'I need this.' I found it, and I got it," Brady said, flashing the card. "My first NFL auto[graph card], one of one. I know how hard he works, he's got a great family, and he's coming to a great environment for success. So, I figured, got to invest in it ... Ended up paying a very hefty price. It's a true win-win. I get the card that I want, it's gonna bring our team a lot of luck, and it's going to hopefully launch Fernando into a great young career."
Now, let's first look at the business element of this: Brady has a major sponsorship deal with Fanatics, who owns Topps, one of the premier sports card manufacturers. Brady displayed a Topps card to the crowd. He is also the owner of 16 card shops by the name of CardVault by Tom Brady. So, there's that.
However, from the perspective of a Raiders fan, this is a great sign. Brady is legitimately putting his own money behind Mendoza in an investment of sorts, proving that he believes in Las Vegas' young quarterback to ball out in the NFL, making Brady's card much more valuable down the line.
No offense to Ashton Jeanty, but Brady wasn't doing this last year for him. And he seemingly isn't doing it for any other members of the Silver and Black, so Brady must think that Mendoza is the real deal. And Raider Nation sure hopes so.
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