SIDELINE SPAT

ESPN Stars’ Furious Pre-Game Clash Revealed

It came against the backdrop of broader cost-cutting efforts and layoffs by ESPN’s parent company, Disney.

ESPN’s A-Team commentary duo’s massive bust-up has been exposed in a new report.

Troy Aikman and Joe Buck have called NFL games together for 25 seasons, but a major rift has formed between them amid a contract dispute.

It comes according to a new report from Puck, which reported that a heated confrontation broke out between them shortly before the L.A. Rams hosted the Buffalo Bills last week.

'I AINT HAPPY'

Trump’s Favorite Sports Host Rips Into Him After Meeting

Annabella Rosciglione

They have become synonymous with Monday Night Football, but a gulf emerged when Buck, 57, secured a new six-month deal worth $108 million for himself in May, Puck reported.

The New York Times reported that new deal in mid-September, finally putting it out in the open.

Puck reported that neither Buck nor ESPN told Aikman, 59, who eventually became “increasingly cold, difficult, short, making comments,” according to a source with direct knowledge of the pair’s relationship.

He is reported to have stewed over the fact that the other half of his double act had been handed the lucrative deal and he had not.

“Joe finally snapped,” at SoFi Stadium, the source said, according to Puck. “He basically said, ‘Dude, are we really going to do this?’ And Troy’s position was: ‘You f---ed me over!’”

Puck added that it spoke to roughly a dozen sources for its article, who said Aikman felt like he’d been given a raw deal by several people.

“They exchanged some very direct and honest feelings,” a separate source added.

A third source said that because Buck had made the new contract without sharing it with his on-air partner, Aikman “Saw it as the ultimate act of betrayal.”

Front Office Sport reported at the time that “an argument” had broken out ahead of the game. However, when tensions spilled over, “It ultimately de-escalated,” “and the two had a broadcast in which viewers never would have been able to decipher that something was amiss.”

Play Video

Both men joined ESPN from Fox in 2022 as part of a bid to breathe life into Monday Night Football, and are reported by Puck to have had the same contracts when they did so.

It reports that Aikman agreed to switch over first and was due to move without Buck. Both men’s contracts had been due to expire after the current season, it added.

The Daily Beast has contacted ESPN for comment.

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.

Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.