Troy Aikman Calls Out Mystery College Quarterback Who Took NIL Money From Him & Bolted – Social Media Detectives Have Uncovered Who It Is

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

ESPN ‘Monday Night Football’ analyst Troy Aikman will no longer associate himself with NIL after being burned by one athlete.

After years of backlash for not allowing its athletes to profit from their NIL (name, image and likeness), the NCAA altered its rules in 2021. The groundbreaking change allowed college athletes to finally get compensated.

Among the big NIL deals: Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck left for the Miami Hurricanes on a contract worth a reported $4 million. Before that, Beck was regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.

On top of that, five-star recruit and offensive tackle Felix Ojo signed an NIL deal worth a reported $5.1 million with Texas Tech.

During an interview with The Athletic, Troy Aikman expressed his frustrations with NIL deals. The Hall of Famer cited a lack of “accountability on the players.” Aikman, who transferred from Oklahoma to UCLA in 1986, recalled a bad experience he had with NIL deals at his alma mater:

“Starting with players that accept money, there’s gotta be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf to have to stick with a program. I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. It’s one of those deals to where I’m done with NIL. I mean, I wanna see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”

With Jamelle Holieway taking over as the Sooners’ starting QB, Troy Aikman left after the 1985 season to play at UCLA. There, Aikman won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and 1988 Davey O’Brien Award honors.

Aikman followed his heart and never looked back. In those days, money could not convince a college athlete to change teams.

Troy Aikman Is Now In His Fourth Season At ESPN

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Aikman first overall in 1989. He went on to lead the team to three Super Bowls in his Hall of Fame career.

One generation of football fans knows him as a Cowboys icon. The other generations know him as a top NFL analyst. He worked at Fox Sports from 2001 to 202. After that, Aikman accepted an offer from ESPN to take over the ‘MNF’ broadcasts.

Aikman continues to work with longtime partner Joe Buck, who also left Fox for ESPN in 2022. The two will call the San Francisco 49ers-Indianapolis Colts game on Monday night next week.