“Tom, You’re Not Welcome”: Ben Johnson’s Bears Told to Boycott Brady After Raiders Coaching Booth Fiasco

NFL legend Tom Brady was in a dilemma from so many choices in January this year.

On one hand, he was on a hunt to find the next man to lead the Las Vegas Raiders, of which he’s the minority owner. But on the other hand, he was also supposed to announce the Detroit Lions/Washington Commanders playoff game as a Fox analyst.

Right at the center of it was the then-Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson.

Johnson was flirting with the Chicago Bears for a head coaching role while Brady reportedly wanted him to fall in love with Vegas. The results were palpable as the NFL world watched the ‘conflict of interest’ start brewing. The questions, however, were mixed: Could Brady lure Johnson for the head coach role? Would his play-calling be biased in the playoff game?

But the Bears eventually hired Johnson while the Raiders settled with the Seattle Seahawks‘ legend, Pete Carroll.

All went their own way, everything was sorted … until now.

Brady will be announcing the Bears vs. Cowboys Week 3 game, and Pro Football Talk analyst Mike Florio wants Johnson and his crew to boycott the QB GOAT/Raiders owner/Fox analyst. And mind it, Florio had a couple of reasons for calling out Brady.

“You have access to the team, you have access to information,” Florio said on his podcast, addressing Brady, the minority owner.

“You’re able to say, ‘Oh, you know what? When that guy becomes a free agent, we want him. You know what, when we need an offensive coordinator, I’m hearing good things about this guy.’ You’re in a position that no other owner is in,” Florio said. “No broadcaster should be in that position. And this is a prime example. And if I was the Bears, what I would say today is, ‘Tom, you’re not welcome. We’re not talking to you; don’t talk to our players. We don’t want you around our players. Don’t look at our players.'”

The frustration is tangible. First, a team’s owner naturally represents his franchise’s interest. Second, a broadcaster is bound to stay neutral. Brady is sitting in both chairs at the same time. The league allows him to have limited interaction with players, coaches, and the other teams.

Florio fears that when he talks with the players and the coaches of a team, he’s probably going to walk away with more than a few notes in his playbook.

So, when Florio urged Johnson and the Bears not to welcome Brady, he wasn’t just talking the talk.

In January this year, both NFL insiders and fans alike feared that Brady could influence Johnson’s hiring process. Fast forward to now, and people fear that Brady could affect other teams’ free agents as well.

The conflict of interest was a big headline last season. It has become even bigger this season. Where will this end? Nowhere, until Brady’s Fox contract expires.

Tom Brady did not violate any NFL rules

Tom Brady used to have a knack for stealing the spotlight in his quarterbacking days because of his extreme football IQ, decision-making, accuracy, work ethic, you name it. Fast forward to now, and he’s still in the spotlight, but for the very wrong reasons.

Right after Brady’s clip, which showed him sitting in the coach’s booth, was shown live, social media lit up and asked just one question: How is this allowed?

The NFL probably heard the question and responded honestly, pointing out every rule in their rulebook. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Brady, while sitting in the Raiders’ booth, didn’t violate any rule.

Per Schefter, the league confirmed that Brady is “prohibited from going to a team facility for practices or production meetings.”

And since the league allows team owners to sit in the booth, Brady was well within his rights to rock a headset while up there in the Raiders’ booth.

“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 the 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.”

Brady didn’t violate any NFL rules, no denying that.

But that doesn’t mean the outside noise, criticism, and the constant debate of conflict of interest will stop right here. The 2025 season is just a couple of weeks old and this issue is going to come up time and again throughout the regular season and the playoffs.