Pick a lane: Tom Brady needs to be owner or broadcaster, not both

When the Kansas City Chiefs visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon, it will be the Fox game of the week. That means future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady will be in the broadcast booth calling his first game since being approved as a new minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

That creates a lot of conflicts, as Brady will have severe restrictions on how he can prepare for the game, what he can say and who he can criticize. 

That is why the time has come for Brady to make a decision on what he wants to do with his post-playing career.

Be an owner.

Or be an announcer.

He can't reasonably and professionally do both.

Technically speaking, he can try do both — as he is, at least for now — but because he is now considered an owner of an NFL team, Brady is not going to be able to prepare the way every other announcer in the NFL does. He will not be able to attend production meetings with the teams, he will not be able to attend practices, he will not be able to speak to coaches, and he will not be able to offer any sort of criticism of teams, players, officials or the league the way any other broadcaster could.

Earlier on Thursday, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who is now the color analyst for ESPN's "Monday Night Football," was highly critical of the effort Cowboys wide receivers have been displaying in their route running and play. He was not shy about questioning their play, and he absolutely let loose with his true, unfiltered thoughts.