Shannon Sharpe doesn’t want to hear Troy Aikman’s newfound concerns about NFL officiating.
The ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Monday Night Football analyst is thriving in his give no f*cks era, writes Awful Announcing’s Sean Keeley. That means calling it as he sees it from ESPN’s broadcast booth, and if that involves criticizing the league and its officials — so be it.
Aikman made an appearance on the SI Media with Jimmy Traina Podcast and had some choice words for the state of officiating. And while he lamented the “tough job” these officials have to do and the “scrutiny that they’re under,” he urged the NFL to fix a longstanding issue in the face of gambling partnerships.
“Here you are promoting gambling, people are gambling more than they ever have before and those types of calls – there’s a lot at stake regardless – but especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well, I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right and I think we’re at a point in time where we can. We can get it more right. So that was really my position in just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address it in the offseason.’”
That sentiment didn’t sit well with Sharpe, who rolled his eyes at Aikman’s comments during his Nightcap show with Chad Johnson.
“Now, all of a sudden, Troy wants the refs to be perfect,” said an exasperated Sharpe. “…Since he’s away from the game — make the refs be perfect. Troy, were they perfect when you played? Bro, y’all need to stop. ‘There’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls. I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think we’re at a point in time where we can.’ So, we gonna get every call right?”
Sharpe’s bigger issue? The games are already long enough.
“I don’t want no four-hour game(s),” he told his cohost. “So, you want to stop and make everything reviewable? How long you think the game’s gonna last? Think about when they challenge something. Think about when you challenge something how long it take ’em. They go to commercial. They’re going to get at least three commercials off.”
The former Denver Broncos and Baltimore tight end wasn’t finished there.
He proceeded to call out Aikman and other former players for acting like officiating wasn’t just as flawed in their era.
“But if we think for one second that every official in every sport is going to get every call right, you’re delusional,” Sharpe says. “And guys, athletes that have played the game, they’re delusional, ’cause now they’re pandering. Troy knows damn well people gambled on the game when he played. They didn’t get every call right. It’s impossible… There’s no such thing as ‘Guess what? We got every call right in the game.'”
Sharpe pointed out that even in well-officiated games, the league later acknowledges missed holding, tripping or facemask penalties were potentially missed.
It happens — officiating has always been flawed.
“You know what it is?” he asked. “Now, Josh Allen, their fan-favorite, didn’t get to go [to the Super Bowl]; Patrick Mahomes [is] going again. Now it’s an issue…”
But Sharpe feels the outrage only seems to spike when the NFL’s golden boy doesn’t get his shot. And as far as Sharpe’s concerned, the sudden concern over officiating feels less like a real crusade and more like convenient outrage.
“I just hate this pandering. I hate this pity party for Josh Allen,” Sharpe later added.
But to Aikman’s credit, this isn’t new. Since moving from Fox to the Worldwide Leader, he’s been more outspoken than ever about the ongoing lapses in officiating.
Regardless, Sharpe thinks his latest comments are a bit “delusional.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.