Cowboys legend Troy Aikman rips Gottlieb for Luck 'hot take' - and exposes the cockroaches

Cowboys legend Troy Aikman rips Gottlieb for Luck 'hot take' - and exposes the cockroaches

FRISCO - Andrew Luck's shocking retirement on Saturday night has naturally become fertile territory for a Hot-Take Society. But it’s also an opportunity for reasonable people like Troy Aikman to assert themselves.

FS1’s Doug Gottlieb makes a living from being a Skip Bayless-like shock jock, so his anti-Luck take is hardly surprising.

"Retiring cause rehabbing is "too hard" is the most millennial thing ever #AndrewLuck,” Gottlieb tweeted after the Indianapolis Colts quarterback announced his retirement at age 29, citing his struggle dealing with several injuries, pain and constant rehab over the past four seasons.

Retiring cause rehabbing is “too hard” is the most millennial thing ever #AndrewLuck

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) August 25, 2019

Responded Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys QB and top voice at FOX Sports:

"That's total bullshit, Doug. What qualifies you to decide how someone should live their life? So you're now the authority on what motivates Andrew Luck? And if his decisions don't fit into what you think is best for him then you rip him? Guess that keeps you employed on FS1. Nice."

That’s total bullshit Doug. What qualifies you to decide how someone should live their life? So you’re now the authority on what motivates Andrew Luck? And if his decisions don’t fit into what you think is best for him then you rip him? Guess that keeps you employed on FS1. Nice https://t.co/p59DsmPoER

— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) August 26, 2019

There’s a lot to unpack here. To wit:

*Aikman and Gottlieb are both employed by FOX, though Gottlieb (and FS1) are much lower on the food chain. 

*Aikman has made appearances on Gottlieb’s radio show; I’m not sure that’s going to happen again any time soon.

*Aikman loathes Bayless, and along with that loathes everything he stands for - which in essence is a willingness to say anything, no matter how preposterous, as long as it helps him cash a paycheck.

*And most of all, Aikman is an infinitely more qualified analyst of Luck’s newsworthy circumstance than is Gottlieb (and the rest of us) because Aikman lived that life. (Same with Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott now, which is why I grabbed him on Saturday night for a quick 1-on-1 reaction to the retirement.) Like Luck, Aikman was a No. 1 overall pick well-known in football circles for his toughness who retired prematurely - in Troy’s case, the issues being concussions and back pain.

I abhor the poisonous Bayless, and his style, and his legion of imitators. (Read my latest on the subject here.) On social media, I’m trying to learn to quit taking their trollish bait. But as Aikman demonstrates here, sometimes the trolls must be acknowledged.

So you flip on the light switch and you expose the cockroaches.