The Chicago Bears haven't set their sights on their Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders just yet; there is still business to attend to against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. That doesn't mean that Las Vegas won't have a key member of the organization getting an up-close and personal look at the Bears in the coming days, though.
With Chicago's showdown against Dallas being the Fox Sports game of the week, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady will be part of the broadcast team working the matchup, per The Athletic. This rehashed an argument that seems to have more strength behind it now that Brady was spotted wearing a headset in the coaches' box during Monday night's matchup between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers (h/t @TomPelissero).
Exactly how much access should Brady be allowed to have to other teams as part of his broadcasting job with Fox when he is much more involved than your typical minority owner?
NFL Allowing Tom Brady to Give Raiders Advantage Over Bears in Week 4
After the camera panned to Brady in the Raiders' coaches' booth on Monday night, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero requested a comment from the league on the matter, and their response did nothing to ease any concerns Bears fans may have.
“There are no policies that prohibit an owner from sitting in the coaches’ booth or wearing a headset during a game. Brady was sitting in the booth in his capacity as a limited partner,” a league spokesperson told Pelissero.
Given the report from James Palmer of The Athletic that Brady meets with Las Vegas' offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, multiple times each week to go over tape and the team's game plan, these are the instances where fans of any team can take one look at exactly what is going on and see an issue with it.
All of this presents a major problem for head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears. With Johnson promising to shake things up after Chicago's 0-2 start, any changes he elects to make will be known by Brady in one capacity or another. Are fans supposed to just assume those aren't tidbits of information that come up during their weekly conversations with Las Vegas' OC?
The fact that no policy is in place to prevent someone in Brady's position from doing the things he did on Monday Night Football is not a sufficient response from the NFL on this. Perhaps the league and its owners should get together to address this problem. From an outsider's perspective, it certainly seems far more controversial than the topics we saw debated this past offseason.
Since that won't happen before Week 4, Bears fans will have to accept the fact that the league is putting them at a distinct disadvantage in a game that Chicago will desperately need to win, no matter what happens against the Cowboys at Soldier Field this Sunday.
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