Tom Brady Joins Ex-CEO's Comeback Venture After being forced to resign due to allegations of sexual misconduct, PR boss Declan Kelly announces Brady has joined his new firm as a partner.
By Madeline Garfinkle Edited by Jessica Thomas
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NFL star and entrepreneur Tom Brady shocked millions by announcing earlier this year that he was retiring from the game, before coming back weeks later to essentially say "never mind." After about 40 days of retirement, Brady reversed his decision and announced he's returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season. Now, in his latest off-field venture, he's joining former Teneo CEO Declan Kelly in his newly launched firm as a partner.
Following numerous sexual harrassment allegations, Kelly was forced to step down as CEO of the prestigious PR firm, which he co-founded. Kelly is known for his connections to some of the world's most powerful politicians and business leaders. However, allegations of sexual misconduct quickly tarnished his reputation, and after leaving Teneo in June, he announced he'd be taking a break from the industry and quitting drinking.
Like Brady, it didn't take long for Kelly to ditch the sidelines and jump back into the game. Just months after resigning, Kelly launched his new venture, The Consello Group, alongside partners Oscar Salazar (ex-chief technology officer of Uber), Steve Mollenkopf (former CEO of Qualcomm), and now Brady.
It might seem like an odd move for Brady, but in the past year he's increasingly focused on his business empire, founding three companies — BRADY clothing, wellness line TB12 Sports and NFT startup Autograph. Oh, and he also took a multi-million dollar stake in the crypto firm FTX.
The Consello Group website praises Brady as a "proven leader" and says that his "deep knowledge of health and wellness is put into practice daily as he continues to set new records and push beyond limits."
As for Kelly, his quick comeback is not as surprising as it is strategic. After leaving Teneo, Kelly signed a non-compete that prohibited him from starting a similar PR firm, sources told the New York Post. According to its site, Consello is focused on investing, corporate development, digital currency advisory and mergers and acquisitions advisory — a distinct pivot from Teneo, which specializes in business transformation and restructuring.
Although Consello officially launched in July of 2021, just a month after Kelly's resignation and a year after the sexual harrassment allegations became public, sources said that Kelly had been working covertly for select big-name clients, including Intel, for months.
Brady and his new partner certainly have one thing in common: a desire to get back in the game.
