Troy Aikman found himself at the center of some controversy this week when he was caught on a hot mic mocking military flyovers. The incident occurred during Sunday’s showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers.
“That’s a lot of jet fuel just to do a little flyover,” Aikman noted as he saw the planes fly over his head.
“That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work,” his broadcasting partner, Joe Buck, replied.
“That stuff ain’t happening with [a] Kamala-Biden ticket,” Aikman shot back. “I’ll tell you that right now, partner.”
Ok, stop me if you’ve heard this one
So, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck walk into a broadcasting booth with a hot mic …
(@1053TheFan @1053SS @RJChoppy) pic.twitter.com/Oc94KWrB5e
— T̷R̷O̷Y̷ ̷H̷U̷G̷H̷E̷S̷ (@TommySledge) October 19, 2020
Shortly after the moment went viral, Aikman released a statement clarifying his conversation with Buck and how he felt about military flyovers in general.
“I love a flyover but It was odd to see one over a mostly empty stadium,” he tweeted out. “But I am an unwavering patriot that loves this country, has always respected our flag, supported the men and women in the armed forces as well as those in uniform who serve & protect and for anyone to suggest otherwise doesn’t know me, my beliefs or what I have stood for my entire life.”
I love a flyover but It was odd to see one over a mostly empty stadium but I am an unwavering patriot that loves this country, has always respected our flag, supported the men and women in the armed forces as well as those in uniform who serve & protect and for anyone to suggest
— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) October 20, 2020
otherwise doesn’t know me, my beliefs or what I have stood for my entire life.
— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) October 20, 2020
Fans were dubious of that explanation.
I heard you guys say with a smart ass tone that it was a waste of money. How’s come just now after how many years seeing this is now a problem? You two should be ashamed of yourselves
— Jason Barnes (@jabarnes1981) October 20, 2020
Is there any way that we can watch a freaking ballgame and the announcers not say anything about politics, BLM and such. I’ve pretty much given up on sports. And a lot of fans think the same. Look at the ratings.
— JA (@Deplorables445) October 20, 2020
I’d rather my tax dollars pay for a patriotic fly over than line some damn politicians pocket and pay for their fancy homes and cars!
— Manual The Fatlineman Tavarez (@Fatlineman2015) October 20, 2020
According to Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated, FOX will now likely do an internal investigation to determine how and why this audio leaked out.
“This was done before the game, during a rehearsal,” he wrote. “That means someone who works at FOX, either in a truck or a broadcast studio, pulled the clip on purpose and then leaked it on purpose to make Buck and Aikman look bad. … You can be sure Fox is doing some sort of internal investigation to find the culprit.”
Yikes. The beef is real. https://t.co/jYnL8dCPQf
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 21, 2020
Based on everything that has transpired up to this point, it seems safe to assume that no punishment is coming for Aikman or Buck over their statements. Will whoever leaked the audio face the consequences for those actions? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
