The pot appears to have boiled over between longtime NFL commentator pair Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, with the on-air duo all but destined for a breakup over ongoing hostilities.
Buck and Aikman, who have been on the air together since 2002, were caught on camera in a heated confrontation before the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams on October 12.
The source of the beef was reportedly the news of Buck signing a six-year, $108 million contract extension in September – a deal that was reportedly not revealed to Aikman, whose deal expires at the end of the NFL season.
A source told Puck’s Dylan Byers that the tension broke when Buck ‘finally snapped’ after weeks of ‘Troy becoming increasingly cold, difficult, short, making comments.’
‘He basically said, “Dude, are we really going to do this?” And Troy’s position was: “You f–ked me over!”‘ the source added.
Before this past Monday’s broadcast for the game between the Washington Commanders and the San Francisco 49ers, Buck offered an apology to the crew – including Aikman – for his role in the confrontation.
Joe Buck reportedly ‘snapped’ at on-air partner Troy Aikman, who claimed the broadcaster ‘f***ed me over’ as the pair seemingly head for a divorce from the airwaves of ESPN
Aikman is reportedly furious that Buck got a new contract at ESPN and did not inform him
Buck also gave something of a rallying cry, per the source: ‘We’re all adults, we’ve all got jobs to do, let’s move forward, let’s have a great year.’
That year will end in 2027 when ESPN broadcasts the Super Bowl on its airwaves for the first time in the network’s history.
Separating the pair would mean the end to a 24 year broadcasting partnership which began at Fox Sports before migrating to ESPN.
While Buck will stick around for the years to come, Aikman’s future has not been set. According to reports, Aikman viewed Buck’s secret contract as the ‘ultimate act of betrayal.’
Buck and Aikman have been on air for over two decades dating back to days at Fox Sports
‘They cut this deal in May and put it in a drawer. ESPN didn’t tell him, Joe didn’t tell him. Even [talent agency] CAA didn’t tell him,’ another source told Puck.
In September, Aikman told the ‘Sports Media with Richard Deitsch’ podcast that he was surprised his own contract wasn’t confirmed before the season began.
However, he seems to suggest the future lies elsewhere, telling Jimmy Traina last week that a divorce ‘just seems to be where they’re going’
