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Raiders Owner Mark Davis To UFC Prez Dana White On Brady-to-Vegas: How Much Money and How Many Years On Brady Deal?

Raiders owner Mark Davis talks with former Raiders defensive coordinator and current assistant defensive coach Rob Ryan before Friday's Raiders-Patriots preseason game inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Photo credit: LVSportsBiz.com

Raiders owner Mark Davis talked with fans at the Raiders-Patriots preseason game Friday before he talked with LVSportsBiz.com about Dana White/Tom Brady. Photo credit: LVSportsBiz.com

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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke to LVSportsBiz.com today about Dana White’s claim last week that White brokered a deal to bring former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 as a free agent before, according to White, former Raiders coach Jon Gruden killed the Brady-to-Vegas arrangement.

Brady ended up in Tampa Bay in 2020, and the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl that season. (Ironically, Tampa Bay defeated the Raiders, 45-20, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Oct. 25, 2020. Brady threw four touchdown passes that day.)

Bucs quarterback Tom Brady signals a touchdown in Tampa Bay’s win over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in October 2020. Photo credit: Tom Donoghue

Before Friday’s Raiders vs. New England Patriots preseason game in Allegiant Stadium, Davis had questions for White: “He said it was a done deal. How much money was the deal and for how many years? And who did the negotiating? And what was his fee?”

Davis was ticked off at White’s contention on ESPN program “UFC 278 with the Gronks” Saturday that the UFC president arranged a deal to bring Brady to the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I don’t know any of these things,” Davis said of the terms of the deal of bringing Brady to the Raiders in 2020. Asked what he thought of White’s Brady-to-Raiders comments Saturday, “I’m not thinking for Dana.”

Raiders owner Mark Davis chatted with Raiders wide receiver Mack Hollins before the Raiders-Patriots preseason game at Allegiant Stadium Friday. Photo credit: LVSportsBiz.com

Brady signed with Tampa Bay, while former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowki was acquired by the Buccaneers via a trade after Gronkowski had retired. The Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl with Brady leading the charge that season, while the Raiders finished 8-8 under Gruden and current quarterback Derek Carr in 2020. Gruden resigned in 2021 amid an email scandal and has sued the NFL.

Tom Brady in action against the Raiders in October 2020 at Allegiant Stadium. Photo credit: Tom Donoghue

LVSportsBiz.com reached White Friday and the UFC president said his role was setting up the Brady-to-Vegas deal, not negotiating the terms of an agreement.

“I never said I did a deal,” White told LVSportsBiz.com. “I set up the deal. I talked Brady into coming to Vegas.”

White stressed to LVSportsBiz.com in a text that, “I would have NEVER told that story publicly. Gronk caught me off guard on live TV.”

Dana White, UFC president

On Saturday’s ESPN show, Gronkowski coaxed White into telling the story about White’s role in convincing Brady to come to Las Vegas to play for the Raiders.

White is from the Boston area and has a box at Allegiant Stadium. He said he even attended Friday’s game between the Raiders and Patriots. Las Vegas defeated New England, 23-6, to achieve the franchise’s first undefeated preseason at 4-0.

UFC President Dana White and friends. Photo credit: UFC

As for Carr, he was asked about the White/Brady/Raiders story at his presser at Raiders HQ earlier this week.

Carr said the Brady talk was of no importance to him and he liked answering only football questions.

Carr included these three words in his comments: “No more drama.”

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr at a training camp presser at Raiders headquarters. Photo credit: Arnie Bazemore/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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