The quarterback who spent three years selling English soccer on nutrition, recovery and world-class standards has cashed out of the club just as it climbed to the top of its division.
Birmingham City announced on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, that Tom Brady, 49, is no longer part of the club’s ownership group, ending a stake he bought three years ago as part of the Knighthead group’s 2023 takeover of the second-division side.
The club confirmed on Nov. 9 that Brady relinquished his 3.3 percent shareholding along with his role as chair of the club’s advisory board. Brady had found it difficult to balance the club with his job as an NFL color analyst, The Telegraph reported.
Birmingham City thanked Brady for three years of support in a statement on its website and said it would build on what he helped start, from the training ground to the surrounding community. “It was truly amazing to have someone with Tom’s experience and passion associated with the club,” the club said.
“Keep Right On,” Brady Posted
Brady posted on Instagram after the announcement: “Being part of Birmingham City Football Club the last three years has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my life.”
He added: “Most of all, thank you to the people of Birmingham. Your passion, your loyalty, and the way you show up for this club through every high and every hard day are what make it so special. I’ll always be rooting for your success. Keep Right On.”
Brady was in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday, Nov. 8, calling the Patriots’ game against the Green Bay Packers for Fox — the day before the club’s announcement.
How a Business Partner Opened the Door
Tom Wagner, Birmingham’s chairman and the head of Knighthead, brought Brady into English soccer. Wagner is Brady’s friend and business partner, and the purchase came in the summer following Brady’s retirement from the NFL, which closed a 23-season career and seven Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Wagner said at the time that the role would be hands-on, with Brady chairing the advisory board and working across the men’s, women’s and academy sides. Wagner said he wanted Birmingham City to become a club the rest of soccer looked to on nutrition, health, wellness and recovery, and he described the quarterback’s arrival as a statement of intent, with the bar being set at world class.
Amazon Prime turned the takeover into a five-part documentary series, “Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues.” Wayne Rooney, hired as manager, lasted less than three months in the 2023-24 season, which ended with Birmingham relegated to League One. Brady questioned Rooney’s work ethic in the docuseries, and Rooney later called the criticism “very unfair.”
Leaving With the Club on Top
The relegation lasted one year, and Birmingham won promotion back to the Championship the following season. The club now sits top after 15 matches with 29 points under manager Chris Davies, with eight wins, five draws and two losses. Middlesbrough and Stoke City are level on points, with Birmingham ahead on goal difference.
Birmingham moved to the top on Saturday, Nov. 7, beating Swansea City 2-1 — two days before the club confirmed Brady’s exit. Wagner’s ambition is a club in the Premier League, with a planned new stadium in Birmingham holding 62,000 fans. The next match pits two of the three clubs tied at the top against each other: Birmingham plays Stoke City on Nov. 21.
Brady’s other jobs are unchanged. He remains a minority owner and team advisor for the Las Vegas Raiders, holds an ownership stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and calls games for Fox Sports under a deal running through 2032.
