A long-simmering feud between Troy Aikman and Skip Bayless is rolling toward boil again now that they're employed by the same company.
Aikman, who has worked for Fox Sports for 15 years, is nothing if not candid. So when contacted by Sports Illustrated about the network's hiring of Bayless, the former Cowboys quarterback offered an unvarnished opinion of the move.
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And the man who hired Bayless — Fox Sports president of national networks Jamie Horowitz — took a hit, too.
"To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement," Aikman said. "Clearly, 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 been the network's lead NFL analyst since 2002 and, according to Sports Illustrated, has an excellent reputation among his Fox Sports co-workers, but his disdain for Bayless goes back to the 1990s, when the former ESPN commentator and Dallas-area columnist made an unsubstantiated claim in a book about Aikman's sexual preference.
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As recently as two years ago, Aikman called Bayless' assertion "made up" and “he did it, as he does everything, just for attention.”
As Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch notes: Bayless' hiring could be seen by others at Fox Sports as a public slap in the face to a popular and respected co-worker. Fox Sports president Shanks will have to walk a fine line to cool those feelings among all involved, including Aikman and Bayless.
