Brady will not face access restrictions ahead of the Super Bowl; The Fox executive named in two recent lawsuit has been placed on leave; the NFL is not planning to expand its season before a new CBA is ratified; and more.
Brady free of restrictions ahead of Super Bowl
The access restrictions placed on Fox NFL analyst Tom Brady have been temporarily lifted in advance of the Super Bowl, according the The Athletic. While still not permitted to attend practices, Brady will be present for production meetings with both the Chiefs and Eagles ahead of his call of Sunday’s game.
The change is a contrast from the regular season, during which Brady was prohibited from team facilities due to his newly-acquired minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. The report indicates that Chiefs owner Clark Hunt led the effort to restrict Brady from production meetings as a part-owner of their division rival.
When asked about Brady’s conflict of interest, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in his annual Super Bowl press conference Monday, “I think [Brady] has been incredibly cooperative,” and shared that Brady calls the commissioner regularly to ensure he is maintaining appropriate boundaries.
Brady will call Super Bowl LIX on Sunday from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans alongside Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi.
Fox exec placed on leave after lawsuits
Fox Sports executive vice president Charlie Dixon has been placed on administrative leave after being named in two separate lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct towards employees, according to The Athletic. Dixon joined Fox in 2015 and was expected to be involved in FS1’s Super Bowl coverage this week. Fox, which is also named as a defendant in both lawsuits, declined to comment to The Athletic.
The first lawsuit was filed by Noushin Faraji, who worked as a hairstylist for various FS1 shows from 2012 to 2024. Then last week, a second lawsuit was filed by former FS1 host Julie Stewart-Binks, accusing Dixon of sexual assault.
Goodell punting on 18th game until new CBA
Goodell also shared an update about the expansion of the regular season in Monday’s press conference. The league does not wish to negotiate with the players’ union on an eighteenth regular-season game until the two sides begin formal discussions to renew their collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2031. A decision could be reached prior to that, especially as the league is likely to reopen its media rights deals prior to the 2029 season.
Goodell also disclosed the league will announce this week the newest host city for its series of international games. The Australian Herald Sun (owned by Fox’s Rupert Murdoch) reported the Eagles and Rams are expected to play in Melbourne in 2026, with other outlets indicating three regular-season games could be headed down under. The NFL is eventually eyeing a 16-game international slate, which would be a key element of any renegotiated rights deals.
Plus: Altitude, Pac-12, NASCAR
— The Altitude Sports network has reached a carriage agreement with Xfinity, ending a dispute lasting more than five years that made Nuggets and Avalanche games unavailable on the largest cable provider in the Denver area. The channel is included in Xfinity’s premium sports offering for $16/month.
— Front Office Sports reports the Pac-12 Conference has received interest from ESPN, Fox, and CBS for a media rights package when the conference resumes full operations in 2026. The conference still needs to secure one more FBS football-playing full member before 2026 to maintain its FBS status.
— Comcast will end its title sponsorship of NASCAR’s second-tier series, which has been known as the Xfinity Series since 2015, according to Sports Business Journal. Xfinity will remain a sponsorship partner as NASCAR seeks a new title sponsor. The deal is separate from the media rights deal through which Comcast televises Cup Series races on NBC and USA Network.
