08-18-25 - Questioning Why Tom Brady Is Allowed Access To Team Practices And Run Throughs As An Owner Of The Opposing Team

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness

Episode: Questioning Why Tom Brady Is Allowed Access To Team Practices And Run Throughs As An Owner Of The Opposing Team

Date: August 18, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on John Holmberg’s skepticism and frustration regarding Tom Brady’s unique position as both a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and a soon-to-be Fox broadcaster. The discussion explores whether Brady’s presence at NFL practices—normally restricted for team owners and outsiders—presents an unfair advantage and a potential for cheating, considering Brady’s controversial history. The conversation is set against the backdrop of preseason football, and is thick with tongue-in-cheek conspiracy theorizing, sports humor, and indignation at perceived double standards.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tom Brady’s Access to Team Practices (04:00–10:00)

• John Holmberg’s Main Concern:
  Holmberg questions the propriety of Tom Brady being present at NFL practices, given Brady is a partial owner of the Raiders while also set to work as a Fox Sports analyst.
  • “...Tom Brady walking into the Las Vegas Raiders facilities with the old satin Al Davis Raiders jacket... He’s a Raider now. He’s the owner of the Raiders, so that was approved. He’s been the owner for a while.” (03:28–03:45)
  • Potential Unfair Advantages:
    • Former players-turned-broadcasters are customarily allowed into walkthroughs for research. Team owners, however, are strictly prohibited. Holmberg insists this is a rule-breaker for Brady, who stands to gain proprietary information about other teams for competitive advantage.
    • “If Jerry Jones was broadcasting games for CBS and had, let’s say, the Bengals on their schedule...the whole facility would shut down...No other owner would be allowed to do this. Why is he?...He’s Tom Brady. It’s one or the other.” (04:38–06:43)
• Brady’s Cheating Reputation:
  The hosts highlight Brady’s historical involvement in NFL scandals, from “Spygate” to “Deflategate,” and draw a direct line of suspicion to his new dual role.
  • “...Tom Brady’s second best achievement in the professional sports ranks was cheating constantly and getting away with it?” (03:56)

2. Double Standards & Potential for Cheating (05:00–10:45)

• Loopholes and Gray Areas:
  • Holmberg worries that even if Tom Brady himself is not permitted at practices, his broadcast team members (like Kevin Burkhart) or assistants could act as intermediaries, sharing proprietary signals, strategies, or video—potentially for a bribe.
    • “He could pay one of the scrubs that’s on the broadcast team...‘I’ll tell you everything you need to know about what they’re doing when you play the Broncos.’” (05:28–05:52)
    • “If I’m sitting there and I’m like, look, I’m not allowed to go, but the kid that keeps my notes is... videotape some of this we need, boss.” (08:01)
  • Conflict of Interest:
    • Holmberg insists the league should force a choice: “You either are the owner of a team or you’re a broadcast. You cannot be both.” (08:35)
    • Historical Precedent: NFL rules used to be clear, with no leniency for conflicts of interest, but Holmberg feels the “rules have been quietly relaxed” in Brady’s case.
• Statistical Anomalies and Conspiracy:
  Holmberg alludes to abnormal stats around the Patriots’ home game fumble rates as further evidence of previous cheating—a theme he recycles here:
  • “They never fumbled at home...number one in that statistic for five straight years...that was because they were flattening the footballs at home. It’s true.” (09:02)

3. Division Rivals Should Be Wary (09:30–10:15)

• Holmberg warns that the teams most impacted by this potential “cheating” are the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos, all direct rivals in the AFC West.
  • “And you know who should be most upset? The Chiefs, the Chargers and the Broncos, the division rivals.” (10:08)

4. Raiders and Cheating Culture (10:20–10:37)

• Holmberg jokes that the Raiders’ new head coach is Pete Carroll, linking him to both USC’s infamous NCAA cheating scandal and a long-running Raider reputation:
  • “Remember that guy? Before he went to Seattle...he cheated his way all the way through USC to a championship...” (10:22–10:33)
  • “Raiders cheating again. It’s the only way they know how to win.” (10:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Holmberg lays down his thesis:

  “Do we not all outside of Patriot Village recognize that Tom Brady’s second best achievement in the professional sports ranks was cheating constantly and getting away with it?”
  — John Holmberg (03:56)

• Calling out NFL double standards:

  “No other owner would be allowed to do this. Why is he? ...He’s Tom Brady. It’s one or the other.”
  — John Holmberg (06:39)

• On leveraging broadcast access for competitive edge:

  “If I’m the Broncos, I’m like this MFer isn’t allowed anywhere near any practice or game that we do all year long... He can’t call a game against the team that is eventually going to... They’re cheating again.”
  — John Holmberg (05:48)

• On alleged fumble rate evidence:

  “The Patriots are the only consistent ones that never fumbled. And that was because they were flattening the footballs at home. It’s true.”
  — John Holmberg (09:06)

• Final warning and prediction:

  “Mark my words. You heard it here first. 8, 18, 25. There will be trouble with this. There will be trouble with this... Tom Brady’s cheating again. That’s my conspiracy for the 2025 season.”
  — John Holmberg (09:38)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:28] – Holmberg introduces Brady’s appearance at the Raiders’ facilities as part-owner
• [04:38] – Comparisons drawn between Brady and Jerry Jones in similar circumstances
• [05:28] – Explains how broadcast partners could pass along confidential information
• [06:39] – The uniqueness and unfairness of Brady’s dual role highlighted
• [08:35] – Recap of clear conflict of interest and history of strict NFL rules
• [09:02] – Cites fumble statistics as historical evidence of cheating
• [10:08] – Holmberg identifies AFC West rivals as primary victims

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Tone & Style

The episode is a blend of sharp sports commentary, tongue-in-cheek conspiracy, and dark humor—true to Holmberg and his co-hosts’ signature irreverent style. Holmberg’s skepticism about NFL fairness is equally matched with his playful ribbing of Tom Brady’s legacy, making the critique both pointed and entertaining.

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Conclusion

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness is a lively, hard-hitting take on the intersection of celebrity, sports ownership, and conflict of interest in the NFL. Holmberg’s case against Brady is filled with both detailed sports knowledge and comedic flair, offering listeners a thought-provoking (and entertaining) look at what happens when a famous player transitions into ownership and broadcasting, raising questions about where loyalty and fair play truly lie in the modern NFL.

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Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP Guns.com, your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories. It's John Holmberg here for the amazing people at the Core Institute. A very close friend of mine had his knee surgery at the Core. He's not going to be back on the court immediately, but in a few months time he will be. He's got some rehab in front of him and that's all you need to worry about. Get to work and get feeling better. Get rid of the pain. You've been living with the Core Institute celebrating 20 years because they've been changing people's lives for 20 years and you don't last that long unless you're. You're great. Stop living with your pain and say yes to the things you love to do again. Go to the Core Institute. Dot Comberg's morning sickness. You've been deceived by an agent of Satan himself. He's evil. Sitting right here. Come on. No, no, he's not. He's not evil. He's just a bit rude. Goodness. Today's going fast and we have to. I don't know who won the Pantera thing. Do you have a name? I don't think it was ever called out. Nobody told us. One of you guys won the Pantera thing and we have not been told. I'll hit up, find out right away. Did we make the call? That's good question. Great question. No one knows. Anyway, congratulations to whoever. We'll get a name eventually. See, that's the danger. We pass it on to the promotions department for this awesome promotion and then nobody talks to us ever again. Is it in the book or anything? I doubt it. The book of 100%. The book of all the information. Station info this week. Yeah. No, I got nothing. We're giving away some Breaking Benjamin tickets. I guess I'll text Ben right now and find out. We do have the Native Grill and Wings. You get to meet Toledo at Waddell and Litchfield. My God, we are pushing him to Waddell and Litchfield. He's just going out there. The cartel lives out there. That's right. His friends from the cartel stay at their house. Waddell and Litchfield. He'll be out there on Thursday. More chances to win $979 just for cramming. Wings in your gullet. Handle the heat. It's a hot wing eating contest out there. At Native Grill and Wings. Last year. Yeah. How your guy was Thursday.

[B]

The guy did almost. I think close to £4.

[A]

£4. Similar. Good crowd. Good, good. Eight participants, they're signing up early. Oh, boy.

[B]

It was full at 2pm no kidding. Yeah.

[A]

All right, so you got to get this first come, first served.

[B]

So get over there and.

[A]

And repeat offenders from last year.

[B]

No, but I, no, I didn't recognize any of. We had a father, son battling. Oh, and the father was the second qualifier.

[A]

Okay. All right. So we got a couple going in. All right. And do it again on Thursday. That's the thing. I want to get to this because it's preseason football time. We've been talking a little bit about it. I, I, I've, I've gotten involved in a podcast with Dale Hell and his friend Dave Nash talked a little bit about earlier. So I, I joined in yesterday and was part of it and just started to bring some things. I think they're calling it this sports thing and that'll be the podcast. It's not available yet, but it will be probably end of the week, I would guess maybe even sooner, but we'll let you know about that. But I did bring this up on the thing and they said I was crazy. But then I think I talked him into it. And I want your guys thoughts on this. Preseason football is going on. I watched, I watched a little coverage, you know, little bits here and there on the Internet and stuff. And I saw the clip of Tom Brady walking into the Las Vegas Raiders facilities with the old satin Al Davis Raiders jacket. The white one, Remember the white one? He always used to wear that thing. He's wearing glasses. Didn't have the grandma chain that attached to his ear like Al Davis's old grandma glasses. But he's doing some sort of a tribute to Al Davis. He's got the coat. He's a Raider now. He's the owner of the Raiders, so that was approved. He's been the owner for a while. Here's the thing I'm saying. Do we not all outside of Patriot Village recognize that Tom Brady's second best achievement in the professional sports ranks was cheating constantly and getting away with it?

[B]

Michigan guy, what can I tell you?

[A]

Brady, Brady's not wrong at Michigan and he couldn't even cheat his way to be the starter there. He kept losing to Drew Henson. He gets into the pros, they start rattling around tapes for four or five years. Get caught. Don't go to any Super Bowls for a little bit. Deflategate shows up. Get caught. He's bad at cheating. He gets caught doing it all the time. Here he is with the Raiders relationships. He's broadcasting for Fox now. Part of the rules are he's not allowed to go to the team. Most of the broadcast teams go to the facilities during the week. Thursday, Friday, they'll let you sit in as the broadcast team, talk to the coaches, watch a walk through. The most important practice of the week, by the way, is Friday, because that's when you've installed everything. You do the walkthrough of your first 15 plays, stuff like that. And, you know, there's. Tom Brady's no longer allowed to do that. But I posed this question. If Jerry Jones was broadcasting games for CBS and had, let's say, the Bengals on their schedule this year and four weeks earlier, Jerry Jones is sitting there talking to Zach Taylor, watching your walkthrough, getting some information, it would be. No, the whole facility would shut down. If the owner of a team came on to another team's practice, they'd all be like, what's he doing here? This is bad. Get him out. Like, I don't. I don't even. I know we're not even doing anything that special, but I don't want to see a wrinkle in this. I don't want him to notice anything. We're doing personnel, what he's got an eye on. So, okay, they made the rule. Tom Brady's not allowed to do that or interview the coach. He could pay one of the scrubs that's on the broadcast team. You don't think Kevin Burkhart, his broadcast partner, leans over and goes, give me a couple million dollars under the table. I'll tell you everything you need to know about what they're doing when you play the Broncos. If the. If the. If they're calling the Packers Broncos game and the Raiders and Broncos are in the same division. If I'm the Broncos, I'm like this. MF or isn't allowed anywhere near any practice or game that we do all year long. He can't call a game against the team that is eventually going to. They're cheating again. Tom Brady's known for it. Nobody's saying anything. If the Bidwells were in the Eagles practice, they'd stop practice. Why? Is Tom Brady. Have anybody underlings or otherwise allowed in? He's Tom Brady. It's one or the other. I don't know.

[B]

I think he'd be okay with the Bidwell score.

[A]

Well, they wouldn't pick it up. They don't know football very well. You're right. That's true. Okay, the Bidwells are allowed to all the practices, maybe they'll pick something up. But bottom line is any other owner that's that close. Former player, doesn't matter.

[B]

He knows the game.

[A]

He's getting insights no one else gets. If you. Again, maybe former player. Let's say Jason Kelsey decides to go to the. He might have some loyalties back to his real team. But Tom has a vested interest in the Raiders doing well financially immediate. It's not like two places removed. He is an owner of the Raiders if they happen to beat the Broncos. And two weeks earlier, he was watching a walkthrough or they're practicing an onside kick or something and discover that Jerry Judy lines up different in the onside kick. And he's like, that's coming. There's definite advantages. No other owner would be allowed to do this. Why is he. And I know what you say. He's Tom Brady. Well, Tom Brady has a history of cheating, does he not? Shouldn't we have an extra eye on him when it gets a little sideways? Well, isn't that up to the team to say? All right, all right, Brady, get him out of here. He's not allowed in, but all of his broadcast guys are. And if you're. If. If I'm.

[B]

And his assistant stallions is allowed in.

[A]

If I'm sitting there and I'm like, look, I'm not allowed to go, but the kid that keeps my notes is. And it's you. And I'm Tom Brady. And I'm like, hey, Brett, when you're in there, 100 grand, videotape some of this we need, boss. Yeah, exactly. Each week I give you another 100,000 for 17 solid weeks.

[B]

The two guys that got blown out during Flake Gate.

[A]

Yeah, it's a million seven. It's a million seven a year for you to do a little, you know, taping accidentally or give me some info that you heard. Be my eyes and ears, because we got to play this team twice this year, and I want a little extra if you can get it. There might not be any in. Might not be. But you might glean something and that nobody's thinking about that guy, but it might be because he's got a direct tie. You either are the owner of a team or you're a broadcast. You cannot be both. There were strict rules about this a few years ago that they just kind of go, oh, okay, nevermind. And it's not like Tom Brady's that great at it. I'm just a Tom Brady. Like, I am a conspiratorial person. Towards Tom Brady. He's the flake gate thing. Still, to me, statistically, there's some stats with that that lined up in the Patriots favor. They didn't lose a game at home for, like, two years. Their fumble ratio was double that of any other team. They never fumbled at home, and they were number one in that statistic for five straight years where all the other teams were jumbled up and switched back and forth. The Patriots are the only consistent ones that never fumbled. And that was because they were flattening the footballs at home. It's true. And who told on them? The other team. When they got hold of the ball, they're like, this isn't right. Because they knew there were rumors. They do a little something special. The footballs here, that's different than everybody else. We all scuff them. We all do. Anyway. Tom Brady's cheating. Mark my words. You heard it here first. 8, 18, 25. There will be trouble with this. There will be trouble with this. A week and a half before the season starts. Tom Brady's cheating again. That's my conspiracy for the 2025 season. And you know who should be most upset? The Chiefs, the Chargers and the Broncos, the division rivals.

[B]

You can get a couple more rings.

[A]

I can load up his whole hand. He's got seven already.

[B]

That's the goal.

[A]

And if the Raiders win a championship. Come on. And you know who his head coach is? USC's Pete Carroll. Remember that guy?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Before he went to Seattle.

[B]

He good.

[A]

He cheated his way all the way through USC to a championship, and when the crap hit the fan, he was gone. Get a whole gaggle of him. Raiders. Raiders cheating again. It's the only way they know how to win. It's 904. Just throwing it out there. Discuss it amongst yourselves. Don't bother me with it, because I have my opinion and I'm sticking to it. We got what would Brady do? Coming up next. It's 98. It's not weird. It's pretty cool, actually. No membership fees. I've heard enough of this.