What did Troy Aikman say? Cowboys legend's sexist comment stirs controversy following MNF
The entire NFL world, including Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman, is growing displeased with refereeing. On Monday night, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones sacked Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and was flagged for roughing the passer. Chiefs fans relentlessly booed the call.
Based on the verbiage of the rules, it seems that the referees believed that Jones landed on Carr with his full weight. This is a violation of what seems like an always-changing rule.
Aikman made a sexist comment about the NFL's propensity to try and protect quarterbacks:
"It’s too much. My hope is the competition committee looks at this in the next set of meetings, and you know, we take the dresses off."
Many fans hope the league lightens up on roughing the passer calls, as they have often been game changers. However, the analogy the former Cowboys quarterback made was inappropriate and many are displeased with him.
Troy Aikman: "My hope is the [NFL] Competition Committee looks at this in the next set of meetings, and you know, we take the dresses off." https://t.co/5DqdLJ8Ccx
The rules have been altered a bit and are being looked at a lot more closely recently. This follows Tua Tagovailoa's multiple concussions in two games over a course of five days, which put the world on notice.
Will the NFL listen to Cowboys legend Troy Aikman?
Despite the former Cowboys star's poorly worded pleas, the rules are probably not going to get more lax. Ultimately, the league at least wants to give the impression that they care about player safety. It's also true that they want to protect quarterbacks more than anyone else to ensure a quality product on the field.
Calls like the one seen on Monday night and the one that may have cost the Atlanta Falcons a win on Sunday are probably not going anywhere. If referees see anything that might violate the rule (which has stipulations for all kinds of hits that defenders cannot do), they'll more than likely throw a flag. If the NFL comes under fire for poor player safety (which they have since the entire Tagovailoa incident), they are probably going to want to play it safe.
Instead of letting them play, they'll likely opt to flag those hits so that they have plausible deniability. In their eyes, it's not their fault if a player gets concussed on a sack or quarterback hit if the hit is supposed to be illegal.
Unfortunately, for pass rushers, Cowboys legend Aikman and many NFL fans, that is more than likely the reality going forward.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit ESPN and H/T Sportskeeda.