https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/as-saudi-arabia-turns-attention-to-football-the-nfl-shrugs
The big announcement that Tom Brady teased on Sunday landed on Monday without nearly the hoopla he surely had anticipated. Possibly because Brady’s presence in the Raiders’ coaching box on Monday night became the Tom Brady “A” topic for Tuesday.
Regardless, it’s a big deal. After multiple years of speculation that Saudi Arabia will inevitably turns its attention — and its unlimited wealth — toward football, it has. Yes, it’s only flag football. But it’s a natural and easy starting point, especially since it’s a way to get Brady (for a non-insignificant slice of said unlimited wealth) back on a football field. Along with multiple current NFL players, at least one of whom (Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb) has secured permission from his team to participate.
Why is the league allowing it? On Tuesday, the NFL said the March 2026 event is not a league initiative. And while anything that boosts flag football is currently viewed as a positive by the league, this feels more like a Trojan Horse gesture, with Saudi Arabia testing the football waters before doing a cannonball into the deep end of the pool.
And now they’ve got Brady, who keeps finding ways to wear more and more high-paying hats.
The NFL currently has no real competitor. What if Saudi Arabia decides it wants in? While the league may have a plan for placating the Public Investment Fund if/when it seeks to make a private investment in the NFL generally, what if the ambitions are bigger than that?
For those of you who have purchased (thank you) and read (double thank you) Big Shield, I’ve got another one ready to go. It’s based on a pro football league that is both funded by Saudi Arabia and that rolls back the rulebook to the 1980s, with full-contact, jacked-up, no-holds-barred collisions. Based on Monday’s announcement, I’m accelerating efforts to get it to print.
Because it’s coming. That’s the message from Brady’s big announcement that has yet to fully resonate.
The situation also complicates the league’s response to Brady’s ability to leverage his conflict of interest into a competitive advantage. If/when the other owners force him to divest his interest in the Raiders, Brady can become the Commissioner of the Old School Football League.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/as-saudi-arabia-turns-attention-to-football-the-nfl-shrugs
