There had been some speculation that Sheedy's arrival at Tigerland would put pressure on current coach Terry Wallace, but Sheedy confirmed to the Herald Sun newspaper that he would be focused solely on marketing and promotions when he starts at the club.
"It's hard enough to coach - you don't want ex-coaches running around behind you," he said.
"I don't really want to move into the footy department at all."
Sheedy admitted he would seek periodic contact with Wallace, but said the chats would involve big picture items rather than on-field issues.
"There will be times when I will sit down with Terry and have a chat about the club in general. But I will be looking at other areas where I can bring some expertise to the club."
One such area is fostering the same sort of blockbuster culture at Richmond that Sheedy was so successful at instituting during his 27 years with the Bombers.
The Tigers already enjoy a feature game against Essendon -- Dreamtime at the 'G -- and Sheedy noted he would be doing his best to build the profile of Richmond's other themed game, the Eureka match played against North Melbourne.
"I was away for Eureka this year, which was frustrating," he said.
"But I would love to think we could get 60,000 people to the game next year, to thank the people who have worked to build this nation."
While not completely ruling out a return to coaching, the veteran of 629 games as senior coach admitted such a move would be unlikely.
"The odds are I'll never coach again. Not many people get employed at 60 unless you live in America or Europe. Besides, I am enjoying the life I've got at the moment."
