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More details about the argument between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have emerged
New details have emerged on the rift between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, including what the two said to each other during an argument before a Monday Night Football game. Buck reportedly confronted Aikman in the SoFi Stadium booth before the October 12 Bills-Rams game.
According to reports, a rift is forming between longtime broadcasting partners Joe Buck and Troy Aikman over the status of their contracts with ESPN — while Buck has signed an extension with the network, Aikman has not and is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman argued before a Monday Night Football game, and ESPN has reportedly paused contract talks with Aikman
In a new report about the argument, The Athletic‘s Andrew Marchand states that Buck reportedly opened with, “You are not going to f—— talk to me?”
Aikman has long suspected Buck played a role in his uncertain ESPN future, and in the turnover of producers and directors on the broadcast. Buck replied, “I’m not the reason you don’t have a contract.”
Aikman answered, “I just never thought you’d do it to me.” Buck responded that ESPN got rid of those staffers “because you were screaming at them.”
Puck’s Dylan Byers reports Aikman felt betrayed that ESPN, Buck, and their shared agency kept him in the dark for months about Buck’s early extension. The extension’s length has not been reported at this time.
Marchand reports ESPN believes it has only “paused” extension talks with Aikman, citing cost-cutting, the “depth in the NFL game-analyst market,” and a partnership that may be “too strained.” Aikman reportedly sought about $30 million per year, up from his current $18 million, then offered to match the roughly 18% raise Buck received, which ESPN declined.
Aikman, 59, has said there’s a 50-50 chance he doesn’t work in TV next year. The pair has cycled through five producers and directors before ESPN settled on Steve Ackels and Artie Kempner.
The consensus in the industry seems to be that ESPN’s actions suggest the network has sided with Buck, leaving Aikman’s future beyond this season in serious doubt. Buck and Aikman have continued to work together since the argument, though, and will return to the air on November 2 for the game between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks.