Tom Brady is once again at the center of controversy. After the reason for the dispute between analysts Ian Rapoport and Jordan Schultz was revealed, their colleague Jason Whitlock was quick to side with the latter, accusing the former quarterback of interfering in negotiations between Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
The soap opera between Stafford and the Rams gave rise to all kinds of rumors and speculation. The quarterback was the obscure object of desire of multiple teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders, where Brady has a minority stake.
Earlier this week, Schultz reported that Brady had invited Stafford to his home in Montana. Although the reasons for the invitation are unknown, the analyst hinted that Brady had been trying to convince Stafford to move to Las Vegas. Rapoport denied the report, saying the meeting between the players was “unplanned.”
Enter Jason Whitlock
Rapoport’s claims led to the argument with Schultz while the two were covering the NFL Scouting Combine this week. Although the incident between the NFL Network insider and the Fox Sports analyst did not escalate, Whitlock threw his hat in the ring, implicating the seven-time NFL champion in alleged tampering.
“If I break a story and then someone comes right out and contradicts [it], I’d be upset,” Whitlock said. “I don’t blame Jordan Schultz for being very upset and [for] being like, ‘come on, man. You think these guys accidentally ran into each other.'”
The controversial Blaze Media analyst accused Rapoport of “covering for Brady,” explaining that Schultz “was arguing, ‘Hey, Ian Rapoport knows that Brady is potentially tampering here.'”
What does the NFL rulebook say?
At the time, the NFL stated that the meeting between Brady and Staffordhad been within the rules, given that the Rams had granted their quarterback “permission to seek a trade.”
While Brady is known for “playing” on the edge of the rules-as evidenced by the punishment he received after the infamous Deflategate-there is no infraction to pursue on this occasion. Furthermore, after the extension the Rams offered Stafford, any discussion of what could have been is now futile.
