New information has surfaced regarding Tom Brady‘s unretirement. In a recent article from The Boston Globe, Ben Volin reported that Brady initially did want to retire, but had much bigger plans in mind.
Brady was slated to become a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins and was working on a deal to join the team’s front office. According to Volin, Brady’s role was said to be similar to Derek Jeter’s role with the Miami Marlins. The partnership would not have been surprising as the quarterback has had a longstanding relationship with the team owner, Stephen Ross. Ross was a large donor and booster and Brady’s alma mater, the University of Michigan.
However, the grand plans were placed on a halt when Brian Flores filed a lawsuit the day Brady announced his retirement. The lawsuit called out NFL teams, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Dolphins for “racism in hiring.” At the time, the Dolphins were planning on hiring Sean Payton as head coach which would have led to more scrutiny if the organization announced Brady and Payton, who are both white men. Payton shares the same manager as Brady and recently stepped down as the Saints’ head coach.
Since the plan fell through, Brady returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to free agency. Reports indicated that his return saw Bruce Arians take a backseat as he announced he would no longer be the team’s head coach.
Elsewhere in sports, the Los Angeles Lakers have fired Frank Vogel as head coach.