NFL
Troy Aikman Sounds Off On NFL Officiating: ‘We Owe It To The Fans That We Get It Right’
Dan is a multifaceted content creator who specializes in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. His entertainment work has been featured on Digital Trends, where he has interviewed Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alison Brie, Adam DeVine, Sadie Sink, Chris O'Dowd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Frank Grillo. Dan's entertainment work has also been featured on Coming Soon, Hidden Remote, and WatchMojo. Dan's other ion in life revolves around sports, graduating from Marist College with a degree in Sports Communication and Journalism. From columns about the latest in New York sports to gambling predictions, Dan continues to find success in written and broadcast journalism. Previous written work can be found at Unafraid Show, while broadcast clips can be seen on WAVE.tv and CBS Sports.
Get to know Dan Girolamo betterPublished30 Jan 2025
On a recent podcast appearance, Troy Aikman spoke about NFL officiating and how it needs to improve, especially because of the league’s partnerships with gambling companies.
Troy Aikman Says We ‘Owe It To The Fans’ To Get The Calls Right
Aikman appeared on the latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
One of the topics of conversation involved officiating, which has become a hot-button topic as of late.
Aikman, the top analyst on ESPN’s NFL broadcast team with Joe Buck, made headlines for his comments toward the officials during the Divisional Round matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.
While Aikman acknowledged the difficulties NFL referees face, the Hall of Fame quarterback cited the league’s partnerships with several popular gambling companies as a reason to improve the officiating.
“I know the officials have a tough job,” Aikman said. “I mean, the scrutiny that they’re under. As we’ve gotten more advanced with instant replay, those guys, it seems, have become more and more scrutinized. And the game has not become less controversial, the game has become more controversial. I just think that we’re at a point that this has tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services.
“Here you are promoting gambling, people are gambling more than they ever have before and those types of calls – there’s a lot at stake regardless – but especially when you’re considering there’s a lot of money that’s changing hands with these calls as well, I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right and I think we’re at a point in time where we can. We can get it more right. So that was really my position in just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address it in the offseason.’”
How Did Troy Aikman Criticize The Officials?
Troy Aikman on this horrible call against the Texans:
“I could not disagree with that one more.” pic.twitter.com/QPyNwd453X
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 18, 2025
During the Texans-Chiefs games, Aikman expressed frustration with the officials over several calls that benefitted Patrick Mahomes.
On the first, Will Anderson Jr. hit Mahomes up high, but the replay showed not much . It was still a 15-yard penalty.
Later in the game, Mahomes drew another flag on a late slide after two Texans collided with each other and grazed the quarterback’s head.
The NFL has since defended both calls, saying the officials were in the right to throw the flags.
Mahomes later flopped on the sideline while trying to draw a late hit, but the refs did not throw a flag.
Though the NFL defended the calls, Aikman is right in saying the league needs to improve the officiating as gambling becomes more popular.
Refs throw a flag already for helmet to helmet to Mahomes. Roughing the er for the Chiefs pic.twitter.com/7RYlHeYQh4
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 18, 2025
