Dallas Cowboys great Troy Aikman is one of the more recognizable broadcast voices in sports, which is why he’s held to a high standard. Some football fans aren’t happy with his comment about Chris Jones’ roughing the passer call.
Aikman, when showing his frustration for the league’s recent roughing the passer penalty conundrum, said he “hope(s) that the competition committee looks at this during the set of meetings and we take the dresses off.”
That comment is obviously dated and has no place in a professional broadcast booth. For that reason, he’s receiving backlash on social media and from pundits alike, who would prefer to avoid such language altogether.
Sports publications from Yahoo to the New York Post have called out Aikman’s comment, and for good reason.
As a national voice for the NFL, Aikman’s commentary cannot be encouraging for female fans. And from the league’s perspective, Aikman’s statement doesn’t help in its efforts to grow the game among that demographic.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman upset with roughing the passer calls
Chris Jones’ penalty on Monday night was one of several in Week 5 that had commentators across the league scratching their heads. Jones apparently landed with his full body weight on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, which prompted Aikman’s reaction. Per NFL rules, here is why Jones was penalized:
“…A defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.”
Despite all this, it doesn’t excuse Aikman’s commentary, especially if it offended or put off any viewers. If anything, ESPN ought to be more concerned than most about that thought, given the money they have invested in both the NFL and Aikman himself.
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