NFL announces verdict on Tom Brady tampering drama amid outrage over Matthew Stafford meeting
The NFL has issued its verdict on Tom Brady’s reported tactics to lure Matthew Stafford to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brady, a minority owner of the Raiders, was reported to have met with the quarterback during a ski trip at his Montana home amid his pursuit to convince Stafford to make the move from Hollywood to Sin City.
Brady’s agent, Don Yee, later stated to Sports Illustrated that the now-Fox Sports broadcaster did not welcome Stafford to his home and it was a chance encounter.
However, the report had NFL fans questioning whether Brady’s move was completely aboveboard.
The NFL has now come forward to clarify whether the seven-time Super Bowl winner was in violation of tampering moves.
‘Not getting into when/where/how/if there was a meeting,’ chief NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk on Thursday. ‘But there’s no issue here as the club gave permission.’
The NFL has issued its verdict on whether Tom Brady was in violation of tampering rules
Brady reportedly met with Matthew Stafford in Montana amid attempts to lure him to Raiders
The Los Angeles Rams gave Stafford and his camp permission to speak to other teams earlier this month.
Jordan Schultz had been the first to report of Brady and Stafford’s Montana meeting, claiming the retired quarterback had hosted the Rams star at his home.
Before long, however, Rapoport tweeted that Brady and Stafford simply ‘ran into each other at a ski resort’ and that ‘the meeting, unplanned, was not extensive or in-depth and did not include Brady “hosting” or “recruiting” Stafford, despite reports saying otherwise.’
The conflicting reports allegedly led to a heated confrontation between the two journalists at the NFL combine.
Security were called after Rapoport reportedly had an X-rated ‘verbal confrontation’ with the Fox Sports NFL Insider in a Starbucks in Indianapolis.
According to NBC , Schultz confronted Rapoport while the NFL Network reporter was speaking to an agent.
The two big-name journalists, who routinely battle to break stories, then shared a brief back and forth with Schultz alleged to have said words to the effect of: ‘If you have anything to say it to me, say it to my f***ing face.’
The Fox Sports Insider later confirmed to NBC that they had a ‘verbal confrontation’ and that Rapaport ‘called security’. Rapoport reportedly told a witness that the clash was considered a threat of physical violence.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was reportedly accosted by Jordan Schultz at the Combine
Security were called after the X-rated ‘verbal confrontation’ with the Fox Sports NFL Insider
Following the Rams’ Divisional Round defeat to eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in January, it was reported that Stafford did intend to return to play next season.
There had been much speculation whether that season would be with the Rams, who handed him a six-year, $160million contract extension just three years ago.
Multiple teams are interesting in acquiring the 37-year-old Stafford should the Rams try to trade him, with Brady reportedly being the most aggressive of the pack, per Schultz.
Several teams are in need of a new quarterback, with the Giants, Colts, and Jets also expected to be interested in Stafford.
Brady could maneuver in a way many team executives can’t, as he’s walked in Stafford’s shoes not too long ago.
Stafford and Brady are the last two quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl in their first season with their respective team, with the duo hoping for similar success should they be under the same roof come the fall.
Brady could maneuver in a way many team executives can’t, as he’s walked in Stafford’s shoes not too long ago.
Brady won his final of seven Super Bowls with Tampa Bay in 2021, while Stafford was traded from the Lions to the Rams during that following offseason and won the next title in Los Angeles in 2022.
