Troy Aikman Walks Back Comments Slamming Military Flyover Ahead of Sparsely-Attended NFL Game

Troy Aikman took a step back after his military flyover comments went viral. On Tuesday, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current NFL broadcaster for Fox went to Twitter and clarified the statements he and his broadcast partner Joe Buck made before the Green Bay Packers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past weekend. Aikman said he didn’t understand the point of a flyover at a game with limited attendance.

“I love a flyover but It was odd to see one over a mostly empty stadium,” Aikman wrote. “I am an unwavering patriot that loves this country, has always respected our flag, supported the men and women in the armed forces as well as those in uniform who serve & protect and for anyone to suggest otherwise doesn’t know me, my beliefs or what I have stood for my entire life.”

Aikman’s statement on Twitter drew a lot of feedback from fans. “And here’s our latest victim of the old smear campaign,” one Twitter user wrote. “He’s totally right. It’s ridiculous to do a flyover an empty stadium. I really wish there was another planet I could live on. I’m tired of planet Earth.” While some fans thought Aikman and Buck did nothing wrong, there are a few who disagree with the duo.

“I don’t doubt that you are a supporter of the military, but the comments about costing taxpayer money aren’t really accurate,” another fan stated. “It’s a common misconception that it costs extra, when in reality these are standard missions that take the place of training missions for the pilots.”

Aikman’s and Buck’s comments were made Sunday on a hot mic before the Packers and Bucs game kicked off. Raymond James Stadium had a few thousand fans to see the game that featured two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history – Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

“That’s a lot of jet fuel to do a little flyover,” Aikman said after witnessing the flyover. Buck agreed with Aikman by stating sarcastically, “That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work.” Aikman then responded: “That stuff ain’t happening with [a] Kamala-Biden ticket, I’ll tell you that right now.” As of Wednesday morning, Buck hasn’t made a public statement about the comments. However, he’s been very busy as he’s calling NFL games and the World Series this week.