The National Football League was asked to comment on Troy Aikman's new job. They declined.
Aikman, who serves as the color commentator for ESPN's "Monday Night Football," is expected to be professional and unbiased with his coverage of the National Football League. However, he recently landed a new job that would seemingly get in the way of that. Aikman is working as a consultant for the Miami Dolphins.
The Dallas Cowboys legend told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports that he will be "pulling" for the Dolphins moving forward.
“I will say I’m pulling for the Dolphins . . . because now I have something at stake, and I think they hired two really talented, wonderful people, and I think that’s gonna prove itself out,” Aikman recently told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports. “But, yeah, I’m pulling for them. I want to see them do well because I feel like my fingerprints are on it as well.”
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Aikman had previously considered running an NFL franchise, in a GM or President role.
“I think all franchise quarterbacks that have been in the league for any length of time,” Aikman said, “I think we all come out of the game thinking that we could run a team, and know what it takes, and certainly having been a part of some championship teams, and I know what the locker room feels like, and what a winning locker room should be like.
“And so I really thought I would go in that direction when I was getting out of football, but because of things in my personal life, it kept me from really being able to devote time in that way. But, in the back of my mind, I kind of hoped it’d come along, and then, you know, I was so far removed at this particular time, I didn’t think it would ever happen. But so it’s kind of scratched that itch, but, you know, I don’t have any ownership. I don’t have the influence, if you will, that Tom seemingly has there with the Raiders. So it looks similar, but I’m not so sure that is.”
But is there a major conflict of interest developing with his Dolphins job and his ESPN gig?
The NFL isn't commenting on that - for now
With Aikman admitting that he'll be pulling for the Dolphins, the NFL was asked to comment on a potential conflict of interest.
"In response to Aikman’s latest comments, the NFL has declined comment," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported.
There are fair questions to be asked, though.
"The question becomes how those situations will be handled. Beyond any limits the league may place on Aikman’s access, how will ESPN address this? Will there be a disclaimer before all games? Before the games featuring one or more teams from the AFC East or otherwise on Miami’s schedule?" PFT added.
"And what will happen the next time Aikman and Joe Buck call a Dolphins game? Will the connection be mentioned once, with a perfunctory box-checking by Buck? Will it be repeated throughout the broadcast?"
Tom Brady, of course, has the same issue. He calls games for FOX while owning part of the Raiders.
Perhaps this is just part of the new NFL landscape.
