Troy Aikman calls ‘bullsh*t’ on notion other broadcasters don’t have conflicts of interest

If it weren’t already clear how little concern Troy Aikman has about his consulting role with the Dolphins, the lead ESPN NFL analyst just spelled it out himself.

Joe Buck’s broadcast partner brushed off the NFL’s restrictions on his dual role with the Dolphins when sports media reporter Richard Deitsch pressed him on it on the latest episode of his podcast, calling the whole thing “a lot to do with nothing.” Aikman also went on to reject the premise that any broadcaster, himself included, is somehow free of conflicts in the first place.

“I guess I’ve read; I’ve not been notified by the NFL. But to me, it really, it’s a lot to do with nothing,” Aikman said.

That answer is a little more interesting than it sounds on its own, because the league has already ruled on this exact question once. The NFL confirmed in August that Aikman would face the same restrictions as Tom Brady, barred from team facilities and limited to virtual production meetings. So when Aikman says it’s a lot to do with nothing, he’s talking about an arrangement the NFL already decided was enough to require rules around it.

To be clear, Aikman’s role differs from Brady’s in that he holds no ownership stake in Miami, no equity, and no seat at the table if the team turns a profit. He’s an advisor, not a part-owner, which is the distinction he leans on when he waves off comparisons to Brady’s arrangement with the Raiders. But the NFL didn’t treat that distinction as disqualifying when it built the restrictions, and Aikman doesn’t treat it as disqualifying either when he defends himself.

“I kind of laugh at those who act as though they have no conflicts,” Aikman said. “Anyone who speaks into a mic has a conflict of interest, because you have relationships. When I’m calling the game after 25 years in this business, I have relationships on both sidelines. Everyone who speaks has relationships, and how they then slant the story on what they’re reporting is affected by the relationships in which they have.”

The thing is, Aikman has already told on himself about why this particular relationship is different.

“I think the Dolphins were wise in understanding my relationships around the league and knowing that I have information that they don’t have or can’t get,” he told Clarence Hill Jr. earlier this year. “And I think they were smart in taking advantage of that, whether it was through me or through somebody else. The Cowboys have never elected to do that, at least with me. You know, maybe they have with others.”

Aikman played an instrumental role in assembling Miami’s current front office, helping install both general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, the exact regime he now describes as his own handiwork while simultaneously covering 31 other franchises for ESPN. Deitsch pressed him on what he’d actually do should the Dolphins ever land on the Monday Night Football schedule, and Aikman deflected by invoking relationships he’s cultivated across the league for decades without incident.

“I wouldn’t have done or suggested anything,” Aikman said. “I would have just called the game, and I would have called it the way I see it. I’ve called games that Norv Turner’s been the offensive coordinator. I’ve called games that Norv Turner’s been the head coach. I called Monday night with Sean Payton, I’ve known him a long time. I have those friendships and relationships, and it doesn’t affect how I do the job.

“Am I gonna come out and rip those guys if things don’t go well? I’d like to think I don’t go out and rip anybody, for that matter. But that for me is not unique. When you’re in this business, and you’ve been in the NFL as long as I have and associated with the NFL, you have relationships. And that’s why I said, anyone who suggests otherwise, for anyone who wants to try to tell me that they have no conflicts of interest, I call bullsh*t on that.”

He can call BS all he wants, but it’s the same reason why many have issues with Fox’s lead NFL analyst, Tom Brady, owning a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. At first, the NFL agreed; the league restricted Brady’s access to team facilities and production meetings to ensure he wouldn’t gain a competitive advantage through his broadcasting job. Those restrictions were relaxed last season and have seemingly given other broadcasters, like Aikman, a green light to work directly with teams.

That doesn’t mean conflicts of interest are nonexistent everywhere else in this business, but there’s a meaningful difference between an analyst carrying friendships across the league and an analyst drawing a paycheck from a team’s front office. The former is baked into a sport this incestuous, where everyone eventually crosses paths with everyone else.

The latter, well, isn’t just a relationship. It’s a business relationship, one that exists because the Dolphins believe Aikman can provide something of value that they can’t get elsewhere. And that’s exactly what makes his insistence that this is all “a lot to do with nothing” so difficult to take at face value.