Tom Brady reportedly given ‘almost presidential-level of security,’ 17-game practice schedule at Fox

"I’m the rookie. I want to be a good teammate.”

Tom Brady is set to make his broadcasting debut on Sunday in Cleveland. Scott Strazzante / San Francisco Chronicle via AP

By Conor Ryan

September 4, 2024

2 minutes to read

Tom Brady’s relentless commitment to game prep, film study, and his diet all played key roles in his ascension as the greatest QB in NFL history.

And based on two new stories from both The Athletic and Front Office Sports, it appears as though Brady’s exacting nature and painstaking practice habits have carried over into his latest venture as Fox’s lead NFL analyst on broadcasts moving forward.

Brady, who signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox back in May 2022, is set to finally make his broadcasting debut on Sunday. But the seven-time Super Bowl champion has been hard at work honing his craft in front of a microphone.

According to Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, Brady has received “an almost presidential-level of security” whenever he arrives at Fox’ primary studio in Los Angeles, with the studio “completely shut down” to give Brady privacy, work with the network’s producers and other on-air talent, and get to know the production crew.

“I’m the rookie,” Brady told one of his new colleagues at Fox, per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. “I want to be a good teammate.”

Brady has already made a few appearances during live football broadcasts, including three preseason games in August and a brief spot during Fox’s coverage of the UFL Championship Game in June.

Tom Brady is already looking pretty comfortable at his new gig 👏

He's making his commentator debut for @FOXSports at the UFL Championship Game.

🎥 @TheUFL pic.twitter.com/4Hk6fqcMUX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 16, 2024

But Front Office Sports reported that Brady and his new play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt did practice runs for 17 separate games to mimic a full season of coverage. Brady also stood in for NBC broadcasts to see how they handled game coverage.

“In January, in Miami, where he has a home, he observed NBC’s production by standing next to [Chris] Collinsworth and play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico in the booth and going into the truck with their lead producer, Rob Hyland,” Marchand noted in The Athletic. “Besides the convenience of the location, the reason Brady observed the NBC crew rather than Fox’s was in part out of deference to [Greg] Olsen, who is being moved to [Fox’s] No. 2 team with Brady’s arrival.”

Brady’s first official game in Fox’ broadcast booth will be calling the Cowboys vs. Browns game in Cleveland, with kick-off set for 4:25 p.m