Amid reports about tension between ESPN's Troy Aikman and Joe Buck over Aikman's contract situation, NBA legend and fellow ESPN personality Charles Barkley made his thoughts crystal clear. Barkley, who appears regularly on ESPN's "Inside the NBA," told Philadelphia's 97.5 The Fanatic that he's "very disappointed" in Aikman over his reported frustration with Buck amid the negotiations. The Philadelphia 76ers legend said that it didn't make sense for Aikman to be mad at his ESPN broadcast booth partner over a contract negotiation.
"It's not Joe Buck's job to get him a deal. Like, he can't tell them to give him a deal. Now, if he wanna talk to Joe privately, that's fine, but why are you mad they gave Joe a deal?
Looks like they don't wanna give you a deal, which they don't have to give you a deal, but you don't have to drag Joe Buck into it. ... It ain't his job!" Barkley said. "I don't understand why you gotta be mad at Joe Buck, he ain't negotiating the contract," he added.
"I was disappointed to hear that Troy's been coming after Joe Buck." More news: Rob Gronkowski Delivers Strong Drake Maye Stance Before Patriots-Bears Clash Last month, The Athletic reported via sources that Buck agreed to a six-year, $100 million contract extension with ESPN. This was reportedly a negotiation that occurred behind the scenes. According to The Puck's Dylan Byers, Aikman felt "double-crossed" by the development after working alongside Buck for more than two decades, particularly since he had not been offered a similar extension by ESPN.
There were reports of a heated altercation between the two broadcast colleagues ahead of them calling the "MNF" game in Los Angeles on Oct. 12. Aikman has yet to agree to a contract extension with the network, raising questions about whether this could be his last season calling "MNF" games alongside Buck. Last month, Barkley announced that he'll retire from working on television, including "Inside the NBA," after this NBA season concludes.
"I'm looking forward to this last year. TV has been great to me," he said. "I'm going to take a step back from public life ...
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