Timeline of Tom Brady’s bid to turn into part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady’s bid to turn into a minority proprietor of the Las Vegas Raiders is anticipated to be authorized on the NFL’s fall homeowners’ conferences in Atlanta on Tuesday, in response to a league supply. The league’s monetary committee will evaluate Brady’s bid, and a vote is anticipated to obtain the required 24 votes out of 32 homeowners to approve the roughly 10 p.c stake Brady and his enterprise associate, Tom Wagner, plan to buy.

Right here’s a timeline of Brady’s path to doubtlessly turning into a minority proprietor of the Raiders.

January 18, 2020: Brady attended UFC 246 in Las Vegas and was photographed smiling with Raiders proprietor Mark Davis and then-Raiders government Marcel Reece. The Raiders had been getting into their first season in Las Vegas, whereas Brady was coming off what could be his remaining season with the New England Patriots. With Brady set to turn into an unrestricted free agent that March, rumors had been swirling he may signal with the Raiders to interchange Derek Carr.

The Raiders thought of pursuing Brady, however coach Jon Gruden, who had personnel energy, determined towards it and caught with Carr. Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however the Raiders’ flirtation remained important as Brady’s relationship with Davis deepened.

In an look on CBS Sports activities Radio final yr, former Raiders CEO Amy Trask mentioned that Davis has leaned on sportscaster Jim Grey as a “main adviser” over time and that, sooner or later, Grey “facilitated the connection” between Davis and Brady.

January 14, 2021: Davis agreed to buy the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. He’d been an Aces season ticket holder since 2018 and a fan of the WNBA since play started in 1997.

February 12: 2021: Davis’ buy of the Aces was formally authorized by the WNBA and its homeowners.

February 1, 2022: Brady introduced his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons at age 44. He gained a Tremendous Bowl with the Buccaneers following the 2020 season, however they misplaced within the divisional spherical of the playoffs the subsequent season.

March 13, 2022: Fourty days after saying his retirement, Brady modified his thoughts and introduced he’d return to play for the Bucs in 2022. He signed a restructured one-year extension in April.

Might 10, 2022: Fox Sports activities introduced it signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract to turn into its lead shade commentator for NFL video games. The plan was for him to start out every time his enjoying profession concluded.

Might 31, 2022: Brady attended an Aces recreation in Las Vegas. He caught up with Davis and expressed his admiration for what he and the franchise had been constructing. On the courtroom, the workforce was thriving and en path to its first WNBA title later that season. The Aces had been commonly promoting out video games and drawing among the greatest attendance within the league.

“I believe he was simply actually impressed with how far girls’s basketball has come,” Davis informed The Athletic final yr. “And he was additionally impressed by the thrill and the keenness of the group in Las Vegas.”

Shortly after the sport, Brady’s representatives reached out to Davis and requested whether or not he could be prepared to promote a minority stake within the Aces.

“He knew that I used to be in it, and I believe he simply felt he needed to be part of it,” Davis mentioned. “And so, his folks contacted me, and we talked about it, and he grew to become a associate.”

Welcome to the Aces Household, @TomBrady! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4bj3IPQz2K

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) March 24, 2023

Dec. 28, 2022: Coach Josh McDaniels introduced the Raiders had been benching Carr. Though Carr had signed a three-year extension with the franchise that April, it included a clause that allowed the Raiders to simply get out of the contract after one season. In benching Carr, McDaniels and common supervisor Dave Ziegler made it apparent that they deliberate to maneuver on from the veteran quarterback.

That meant the Raiders wanted to discover a new beginning quarterback. The Raiders considered Brady as their main choice, in response to league sources. As a Patriots assistant coach, McDaniels gained six Tremendous Bowls and produced among the league’s greatest offenses working alongside Brady in New England. Brady was set to turn into an unrestricted free agent in March 2023, and there was cause to imagine he may look to play elsewhere if he didn’t win one other Tremendous Bowl with Tampa Bay.

Jan. 16, 2023: The Bucs had been eradicated within the wild-card spherical of the playoffs in an embarrassing 31-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Feb. 1, 2023: Brady introduced his retirement “for good.” This time, he didn’t return on the choice.

March 23, 2023: The Aces formally introduced that Brady had reached an settlement with Davis to turn into a minority proprietor. Though Brady had handed on the chance to play for the Raiders, his relationship with Davis made it a superb match.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the Las Vegas Aces group,” Brady mentioned in a press release launched by the workforce. “My love for ladies’s sports activities started at a younger age after I would tag alongside to all my older sisters’ video games. They had been by far the perfect athletes in our home! … I’ve at all times been an enormous fan of girls’s sports activities, and I like the work that the Aces’ gamers, employees and the WNBA proceed to do to develop the game and empower future generations of athletes. To have the ability to contribute in any approach to that mission as a member of the Aces group is an unimaginable honor.”

Might 22, 2023: Davis informed ESPN he had come to an settlement with Brady for him to buy a minority possession stake within the Raiders.

“We’re excited for Tom to affix the Raiders,” Davis informed ESPN, “and it’s thrilling as a result of he shall be simply the third participant within the historical past of the Nationwide Soccer League (after George Halas Sr. and Jerry Richardson) to turn into an proprietor.”

Oct. 5, 2023: The Washington Publish reported that Brady’s bid to turn into a part-owner of the Raiders had hit a snag. In keeping with the report, there was concern by the opposite NFL homeowners about Davis providing Brady a decreased value for a ten p.c stake. When contacted by The Athletic, Davis and Brady’s illustration declined to remark.

Aug. 28, 2024: As Brady ready to make his broadcasting debut with Fox Sports activities in Week 1, he realized he’d face in depth restrictions on account of his bid to amass an possession stake within the Raiders.

Though Brady nonetheless hadn’t been formally authorized as a minority proprietor, a league supply informed The Athletic he wouldn’t be allowed key entry typical for NFL broadcasters in his function as a Fox analyst. He’s not allowed entry to different groups’ services and practices and may’t attend broadcast manufacturing conferences, which often embody conferences with coaches and gamers forward of video games. He’s additionally not allowed to publicly criticize officers or different groups and might be fined or suspended if the league feels he breaks that coverage. He additionally should abide by the league’s playing and anti-tampering insurance policies and is proscribed to “strictly social communication” with members of different groups.

A community supply informed The Athletic that Fox Sports activities had no considerations concerning the limitations, and Brady agreed to them.

Oct. 5, 2024: In keeping with the Washington Publish, Brady and businessman Tom Wagner, the co-founder of Knighthead Capital Administration, elevated their monetary supply to buy a ten p.c stake within the Raiders from Davis.

Oct. 15, 2024: The NFL’s fall homeowners’ conferences happen in Atlanta. If the homeowners vote on Brady’s bid as anticipated, he would wish 24 of the 32 votes to approve his bid. The bid is anticipated to be authorized, in response to league sources.

In the event that they don’t vote in Atlanta, the subsequent likelihood will come on the NFL’s subsequent league assembly on Dec. 10-11 in Irving, Texas.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Richard Deitsch, Dianna Russini and Vic Tafur contributed to this report.

(Prime photograph of Mark Davis and Tom Brady: Ethan Miller / Getty Photos)