"Brady will join fellow retired New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski and a host of current NFL standouts including Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a three-team tournament to be held March 21, 2026, in Riyadh. Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan will coach the three five-player teams. The tournament will be held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and televised by Fox Sports, with comedian Kevin Hart hosting."
"The whole thing sounds like fun. It is, however, a business plan disguised as a promotional stunt. The NFL makes no secret that it is going global - witness the season opener in São Paulo between the Chiefs and Chargers. And Saudi Arabia makes no secret about broadening its sports holdings, investing billions through its Public Investment Fund in an attempt to expand its oil-based economy and mend its international image."
An earlier claim that Tom Brady was coming out of retirement is incorrect; he will not return to the NFL. Brady, 48, will participate in a Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Riyadh on March 21, 2026. The event will feature Rob Gronkowski and current NFL standouts such as Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Sauce Gardner and Myles Garrett. Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan will coach three five-player teams at the Kingdom Arena, with Fox Sports televising and Kevin Hart hosting. The event serves as a commercial push as the NFL expands globally and Saudi Arabia and sovereign funds invest in sports and Fanatics.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]