ESPN’s Troy Aikman pulls no punches when it comes to officiating blunders. And despite the league’s tendency toward the supersensitive when it comes to criticism of officials, Aikman says he’s never gotten any blowback from 345 Park Avenue.
“I never have,” Aikman told Jimmy Traina of SI.com. “I’ve never heard from the league.”
It’s possible that the league doesn’t raise its concerns to Aikman directly (as it should), but that it instead whines to his bosses instead. (Which has happened elsewhere. I’m told.)
Aikman realizes the job isn’t easy, but difficulty of profession doesn’t operate as insulation from criticism.
“I know the officials have a tough job,” Aikman told Traina. “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. It’s become more controversial. But then I just think we are at a point, and this is tipped a little bit because the league is partners with a number of these gambling services. So here you are promoting gambling, people are gambling more than they have ever 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.
“So, I think that we owe it to the fans that we get it right, and I think that we are at a point and time where we can. We can get it more right. That was my position and just trying to lean on the NFL and say, ‘Hey, we gotta fix this. We gotta address this in the offseason.’”
He’s right. In late 2023, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones argued that the two teams in a given game submit to the possibility that the game’s outcome will be influenced by a bad call (which is always a good call for the other team). But as the NFL continues to profit from all things betting, those who have wagered on games aren’t making that same deal.
They don’t want to lose a wager based on a bad call. And, eventually and inevitably, there will be a sports-betting scandal that turns the NFL upside down.
Until it happens, the NFL will keep jamming sports books dollars inside its pockets. While also spending as little as possible to eliminate officiating errors.
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