Though he was demoted after Tom Brady’s arrival to the booth, and it cost him a chance to call the Super Bowl this week in New Orleans, former NFL tight end Greg Olsen insists he has no animosity toward Brady.
Olsen, who recently opened up about how frustrating it was for him to be demoted from Fox’s top broadcast team after Brady signed his massive deal with the network, said on Thursday from New Orleans that he and Brady are in a great place.
“I’ve talked to Tom regularly throughout the season. We’ve gotten to know each other really well,” Olsen said on the NFL Network. “I have a ton of respect for him, which goes without saying, as a player. But I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him as a guy since he’s joined Fox.
“So, this whole narrative of I hate watching him call games and all that is not true. So here I am, on national TV setting the record: I have no personal [animosity toward Brady]. I like Tom. I want to see him. I’ve tried to help him. I answer questions to the best that I can help. But I want to see him do well.”
Brady is in the first year of his 10-season, $375 million deal with Fox, and he’s set to call the Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs at the Superdome on Sunday. Despite his clear conflict of interest as a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Brady appears to be in the broadcast booth for the long haul.
Olsen, who called the Super Bowl two seasons ago on Fox, has two years left on his deal with the network and has revealed that he’s spoken with the network about his demotion to their No. 2 analyst.
“It’s pretty clear that the path, the upward trajectory as far as Fox goes, probably is a non-factor,” Olsen said last week. “I don’t know what the future holds. I enjoy working at Fox. Fox has been very good to me. They know. I’ve been very honest with them that I’m not content just calling one o’clock regional games for the rest of my career.”
What happens next with Olsen’s broadcasting career remains to be seen. But as long as Brady is at Fox, it’s unlikely that Olsen will be able to move back into their top spot.
“In my mind, I’m going to call big-time games again,” he said. “I’m going to call Super Bowl games again. I just don’t know the timeline or the venue.”
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