Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman was given the opportunity on Thursday to refute there has been tension between himself and broadcast partner Joe Buck and he didn’t take it.
He didn’t deny it. Actually, he kind of fed into it.
So the broadcast team that has been together for more than two decades and is slated to broadcast Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, the first ever on ESPN, apparently has beef.
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Sports commentator and former NFL player Troy Aikman and sports commentator Joe Buck look on prior to a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Nov. 13, 2023. (Getty Images)
“There’s probably a time and a place for all that to be discussed,” Aikman said about the situation on Sportsradio 96.7 in Dallas on Thursday. “I don’t know if now is the time.
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“I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what’s happened.”
Aikman was asked specifically whether a report of tension between him and Buck prior to Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams is true. And that was his answer.
The bright, articulate analyst who breaks down plays immediately after they happen didn’t tear down a report by Front Office Sports that he and Buck had an argument before they worked the game together. And over what? The fact Buck has signed a new contract to remain with Disney/ ABC/ ESPN as the play-by-play man on Monday Night Football, and Aikman doesn’t have any deal in place beyond this season.
There has been ongoing tension between the longtime partners about this season and FOS reported Buck “broke the ice” on this tension, but he and Aikman had an argument as a result.
Tensions obviously cooled and the two men broadcast the game and apparently intend to continue broadcasting together through the Super Bowl. But what happens after that remains uncertain.
ESPN announcer Troy Aikman before a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)
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“I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens,” Aikman said. “I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this year does hold and the Super Bowl and all that, and where my next landing spot might be.”
It’s unknown what specifically has fed into this drama between Aikman and Buck.
It could be that the pair had a gentleman’s agreement to form a united front in their contract talks and Buck broke ranks. It could also be that Aikman is simply envious of his partner getting a new deal. Whatever it is, this incident puts both men in the crosshairs. Critics will now watch MNF for further signs of tension. And both ESPN and Buck will continue to be asked for comment on the issue, which neither has so far provided.
ESPN declined comment.
CBS sportscaster and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, right congratulates a fellow golfer on a successful putt Tuesday, June 27, 2023 during the OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois Championship & Pro-Am Tournament at Metamora Fields Golf Club in Metamora. (MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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And one has to wonder: What is it with these former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks turned broadcasters?
While Aikman is apparently in a contract squabble with Disney/ ABC/ ESPN, Tony Romo is out at CBS after he was arrested and pleaded no contest to OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) charges in Wisconsin.
Romo has said through various statements that he is seeking help for his apparent use of alcohol and painkillers.
So next year there could be two former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks on the analyst free agent market.
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