Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman is the No. 1 NFL analyst on FOX, but he’s not afraid to criticize his own employer.
Aikman ripped FOX for hiring Skip Bayless away from ESPN and giving Bayless his own First Take knockoff show on FOX Sports 1. Aikman has disliked Bayless since the 1990s, when Bayless wrote a book about the Cowboys that included unsubstantiated rumors that Aikman is gay.
“To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman told Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated. “Clearly, [Fox Sports president of national networks] Jamie Horowitz and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to building a successful organization. I believe success is achieved by acquiring and developing talented, respected and credible individuals, none of which applies to Skip Bayless.”
Aikman has long maintained that Bayless is an irresponsible, unethical journalist and shouldn’t have a platform at any media outlet. Aikman will continue to say that now, even though Bayless is now a FOX Sports colleague.
