Ex-Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says Tom Brady 'was a great asset for us'

Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sep 18, 2025

Published in Football

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LAS VEGAS — Count former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce among those who believe Tom Brady’s dual role as a minority owner of the team and a Fox broadcaster represents a potential conflict of interest.

Pierce called the situation “unprecedented” during an interview with Sirius XM’s Adam Schein on Thursday, and said it would have been “uncomfortable” for him as the Raiders’ coach if it were the other way around because Brady is such a student of the game and able to gather intel out of just a morsel of information.

“It’s not hard for him to watch a few things on a Friday practice or hear things in a production meeting and be like, ‘Hmm,’ and have tidbits,” Pierce said. “And you’d be foolish enough to think that he’s not going to share that with the Raiders because we had those conversations about certain things. He was very informative about things he knew or he felt, and that’s why you bring in a guy like Tom Brady to be a minority owner because he gives you those different insights that other people can’t give you. So I would be nervous (if I were with an opposing team).”

Pierce, who compared the situation to Michael Jordan waiting until he was divested from NBA ownership to join a network broadcast this year, acknowledged that he’s not clear what the rules are about Brady’s access to other teams when he’s on a broadcast crew. The regulations were also far more strict last season when Pierce was coach of the Raiders, so it’s uncertain what knowledge he would have been sharing with Pierce at the time.

Still, Pierce believes teams will be careful about allowing Brady access even if they publicly downplay their concerns.

“I think everybody’s going to give you the political answer and say, ‘Oh, it’s no big deal,’ ” Pierce said. “I’m calling BS on that, because if me and you were to call the game, they’ll be secretive with us. Now you’ve got a guy who’s a minority owner, a great player, you know he understands the game, you know he sees the game. He has obviously an interest in the Raiders. So I just think it’s unprecedented. We haven’t seen it. Again, I don’t want to talk above my means. I don’t know what the NFL has set for Tom Brady and his rules, but I know he was a great asset for us with the Raiders when I was there. And I think he’ll still be a great asset as he’s going forward, and I think this does help him out, and the Raiders.”