Tom Brady (Photo via Daniel Bartel/Imagn Images)
Tom Brady is taking some heat online in the wake of his vote for the 2024 MVP being revealed.
The former quarterback was allowed to vote on the award in his first season as a football broadcaster for FOX, and he selected Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson for first place.
Brady had Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, who ended up winning the award, in second place, while Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was third on his vote sheet.
While such a vote is nothing to scoff at, folks are questioning why Brady is allowed to make selections.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner was a three-time MVP himself and has forgotten more about football than most people will ever know, but the issue lies in his minority ownership of the Las Vegas, with fans pointing to a conflict of interest.
Fans Questioning Why Tom Brady Gets To Vote
The league placed several restrictions on the 47-year-old during the regular season. He wasn’t permitted to enter other teams’ facilities for FOX’s production meetings or discuss officiating in depth during broadcasts, so people are wondering why he was allowed to vote for the MVP after all that.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google!Follow Us
“Why is Tom Brady, part of the ownership of a team, allowed to vote on the MVP? Players have incentives based on awards. Seems like a major conflict of interest,” NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill wrote on X.
“Tom Brady having an MVP vote as an Owner is absolutely criminal,” another fan added.
“Wait, why does Tom Brady, owner of the Raiders, have an MVP vote?” asked a third.
As noted above, Allen won the award. The Bills QB beat Jackson by four first-place votes (27 to 23) to win his first MVP after a stellar season with the AFC team.
Barkley, who came in third with no first-place votes, is the only one of the three who will have the opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl on Sunday. He was named the Offensive Player of the Year following a remarkable first season in Philly.
Greg Olsen Drops A Giant Truth Bomb On His Relationship With Fox Sports Colleague Tom Brady
Greg Olsen and Tom Brady (Photos by Imagn Images)
Greg Olsen has addressed the speculation about potential tension with Fox Sports colleague and fellow NFL analyst Tom Brady.
Many fans were disappointed when Fox removed Greg Olsen from its No. 1 commentary team in favor of Brady, who signed a $375 million contract with the network in 2022. Brady works with Kevin Burkhardt and Erin Andrews and gets to call Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans this Sunday.
While Brady’s first year as an analyst has received mixed reviews, Olsen has drawn tremendous praise for his work in the broadcast booth. Olsen works on Fox’s No. 2 team with Joe Davis and Pam Oliver.
Olsen made headlines last month when he admitted he was upset with being demoted from the network’s No. 1 team. But during an appearance on “Good Morning Football”, he emphasized that there’s zero animosity with Brady and that they have a good relationship:
“I’ve talked to Tom regularly throughout the season. We’ve gotten to know each other really well. I have a ton of respect for him, which goes without saying, as a player. But I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him as a guy since he’s joined Fox.
“So, this whole narrative of I hate watching him call games and all that is not true. So here I am, on national TV setting the record: I have no personal (animosity toward Brady). I like Tom. I want to see him. I’ve tried to help him. I answer questions to the best that I can help. But I want to see him do well.”
It has also been reported that Olsen’s demotion dropped his salary from $10 million to $3 million. Unfortunately for the former Pro Bowl tight end, there’s no clear avenue to taking over as the No. 1 analyst elsewhere with Troy Aikman (ESPN), Tony Romo (CBS), Cris Collinsworth (NBC) and Kirk Herbstreit (Amazon Prime Video) occupying those spots for the NFL’s other broadcast partners.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google!Follow Us
Greg Olsen’s Frustrations Are Understandable
One can easily understand why Olsen is unhappy with the demotion. He was doing a great job and simply got demoted because Fox paid a pretty penny to Brady BEFORE Olsen began working on the network’s No. 1 team in 2022.
Olsen still has a great gig, but it’s a pricy demotion and simply not the same when he doesn’t get to call Fox’s best game each week.
