Richard Bready

Boston magazine’s Jason Schwartz thinks so:

When I interviewed Schilling for my story on 38 Studios, he declined to speak on the record about who the investor was. But when I followed up via text shortly after, he replied that his name was, “Rick Brady.” Schilling added, “That was the investor who was willing and able to write the check as long as the gov permitted tax credits.”

Now, so far as I can tell, there aren’t any ridiculously wealthy Rick Brady’s hanging around Providence. But there is a very wealthy Rick Bready (pronounced “Brady”) and it would be a pretty safe bet that he’s the person Schilling was referring to.

Bready retired last year after 36 years at Nortek, having led the company through a bankruptcy restructuring; a 2003 leveraged buyout left the company with a heavy debt load. It’s certainly plausible he had the cash: Bready’s seaside estate in Newport alone is assessed at $18.6 million, according to city records, and his annual salary was $3.5 million a year from 2008 to 2010. He’s also on Roger Williams University’s board.

Also, Schwartz will join us on Newsmakers this weekend to discuss his big 38 Studios article.