With the future of the Monday Night Football booth in disarray, Howard Stern believes Troy Aikman’s issue should be with ESPN, not Joe Buck.
The seemingly deteriorating relationship of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman has been one of the biggest media stories in recent weeks. But with the King of All Media now hosting less than one show a week for SiriusXM, Monday morning was finally his opportunity to address the feud between Buck and Aikman.
It’s been two weeks since Buck and Aikman reportedly had a major blow-up over their differing contract statuses. Buck’s six-year contract extension with ESPN was announced in September, but it was reportedly agreed to in May. And the contract came as news to Aikman, who has expressed disappointment in ESPN’s apparent lack of interest in signing him to a new deal.
Buck and Aikman have been widely viewed as a package deal since moving from Fox to ESPN together. But Buck quietly signing a new deal with ESPN while Aikman’s future is uncertain seems to have put a thorn in their relationship. And with Aikman upset by his own contract negotiations, Stern believes the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback should take it out on ESPN, not Buck.
“Maybe ESPN came to Joe Buck and said, ‘Look, it’s not your place to inform Troy about our plans, it’s ours.’ I would say, ESPN is who Troy should be mad at,” Stern said during his Monday morning show on SiriusXM. “Not Joe.”
Buck is a noted Stern fan and has been a frequent guest on his show, enough to be considered a friend of the program. If Stern has an allegiance in this feud, it’s to Buck more than Aikman.
Stern, however, admitted it would be weird if he signed a long-term contract with SiriusXM or elsewhere without telling longtime co-host Robin Quivers. Interestingly, Stern signed a three-year deal with SiriusXM last December, which greatly reduced his schedule and led to significant staff layoffs. Quivers was seemingly aware of the new contract and looming changes.
Buck and Aikman haven’t worked together as long as Stern and Quivers, but 25 years is still a long time. And by all accounts, Buck and Aikman had a legitimate friendship off-air.
When Buck signed his deal with ESPN, the assumption was Aikman would soon follow. But Buck signed his deal without knowing Aikman’s future, or perhaps he knew ESPN might be interested in replacing Aikman. If that’s the case, it’s understandable why Aikman might view Buck and ESPN as equal culprits in his possible exit from the Monday Night Football booth.
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