Afternoon Edition

October 15, 2026

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Troy Aikman didn’t deny Front Office Sports’s report of tension between him and Joe Buck, but he’s already looking ahead to what’s next. With his ESPN contract expiring after the Super Bowl, Aikman says he’ll be a free agent and is thinking about where his next landing spot might be.

—Mark Maske

First Up

Jon Rahm will forfeit all remaining LIV Golf payments under a separation agreement that could pave the way for a PGA Tour return.
Arizona State parted ways with hockey coach Greg Powers, but Matthew Mayich’s family says the move falls short of accountability.
Alabama QB Keelon Russell is building a major NIL brand while carrying the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes.
Blake Griffin told FOS the Clippers’ salary cap punishment “probably fits,” but he feels bad for their fans.

Troy Aikman Eyeing ‘Next Landing Spot,’ Doesn’t Deny Rift With Joe Buck

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Troy Aikman said in a radio appearance Thursday that it’s not “hard to figure out … what’s happened” between him and Monday Night Football broadcast partner Joe Buck earlier this week, before emphasizing that he will be “a free agent” once his contract with ESPN expires following the network’s Super Bowl broadcast in February.

Aikman appeared to publicly confirm Front Office Sports’s report that there has been tension between him and Buck over their respective contract talks with ESPN, and that the two had an argument before their broadcast of Monday night’s Bills-Rams game at SoFi Stadium.

“I think there’s probably a time and a place for all that to be discussed,” Aikman said Thursday morning on Dallas station 96.7 The Ticket. “I don’t know if now is the time. I don’t know that it’s hard to figure out kind of what’s happened. But I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. But I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this year does hold and with the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot might be.”

The Athletic reported last month that Buck had reached a new six-year deal with ESPN. Aikman has not received a formal offer, FOS reported Wednesday. ESPN signed Aikman and Buck to five-year deals in 2022.

FOS reported Buck “broke the ice” before Monday’s game on the unspoken tension between the two, and he and Aikman had an argument, a source said. It ultimately de-escalated, and the two had a broadcast in which viewers never would have been able to decipher that something was amiss.

The Hall of Fame quarterback could potentially be an offseason target for CBS, which has paired J.J. Watt with Jim Nantz on its No. 1 team after parting with Tony Romo. Amazon Prime Video reportedly has a new deal with Kirk Herbstreit, although the contract is believed to contain an escape mechanism.

It’s also possible Aikman could be a target for NFL teams potentially interested in him for a front office role. Aikman served as a consultant to the Dolphins last offseason. That led the NFL to make him subject to the same team-access rules this season in his broadcasting role that also apply to Tom Brady, based on Brady’s dual role as a Raiders part-owner and the analyst for Fox’s top broadcasting team, FOS first reported in August.

Aikman has a long history with the Cowboys but has been critical at times of the manner in which owner Jerry Jones runs the franchise and participates in football-related decisions.

The details of Aikman’s consulting arrangement with the Dolphins are not clear, so it’s not known whether he would be available to any other interested NFL teams.

It seems unlikely, though, that an NFL team would be willing to pay Aikman a salary comparable to what he makes in broadcasting, with his current contract at $18 million per year.

Lacrosse Gets a Texas-Sized Boost

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$15 million

That’s the amount SMU raised to launch its new men’s lacrosse program, which will begin play in the ultra-competitive ACC in spring 2028. The cash infusion comes from a group of about 20 founding donors, including Gary and Sylvie Crum, after whom the current club lacrosse field is named.

SMU is aiming to bank another $10 million by April. The launch on the Hilltop marks the first Division I program in Texas, and only the fifth top-tier men’s team west of the Mississippi River.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Pleading the Fifth?

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“I would love to update you. But because all my words are being used against us, I’m not going to.”

—LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade on the Tigers roster situation after the exhibition against UCF. Wade kept his roster shrouded in mystery for most of the offseason, finally revealing a 10-man roster last week that grew ahead of Wednesday’s win over the Knights to include international players Saliou Niang and Brice Dessert. But Wade didn’t want to comment on the eligibility situation for any players given the SEC’s ongoing lawsuit against LSU over the football program’s failed attempt to bring back players who had signed NFL contracts.

In court filings this week, the SEC accused Wade of trying to do the same by attempting to roster former G League player RJ Luis Jr., and gesturing at his attempt to roster Niang, who may violate the SEC’s pro player ban given that he went through the NBA draft in 2025. (Wade said earlier this week Luis has not been rostered or traveled with the team; Niang did not play Wednesday night.) The filing also quoted Wade directly as part of its evidence. Now, Wade is wary of providing updates. “I’m not trying to be a jerk. I’m not. But I’m not going to talk anything about eligibility right now, just because of the situation that we’ve got.”

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STATUS REPORT

Two Up, One Down, One Push

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Dallas Stars ⬆⬇ The Plano City Council approved a deal to contribute up to $250 million in tax revenue to a proposed new stadium project for the NHL franchise. In exchange, the Plano school district would be allowed to hold graduations and other ceremonies at the arena. The Stars have a lease to play at American Airlines Center until the end of the 2030–31 NHL season, but the new project would see them move just outside the city limits to Plano.

NBA on ESPN ⬆ Jason Kidd and Jeremy Lin will join ESPN’s NBA coverage for the 2026–27 season, the network announced in a Thursday press release. Kidd, who parted ways with the Mavericks in May after five seasons at the helm, will feature prominently on NBA Countdown alongside Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Windhorst, and Shams Charania. He and Lin will also serve as game analysts. ESPN’s lead broadcast booth of Mike Breen, Tim Legler, Richard Jefferson, and Lisa Salters will return for a second season.

PIF Saudi International ⬇ In a joint statement, Golf Saudi and the Asian Tour announced the tournament scheduled to take place Nov. 18–21 in Riyadh has been postponed indefinitely. It becomes the latest Saudi-based sporting event to be postponed in the aftermath of a series of deadly attacks on King Khalid International Airport by the Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemeni group which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization. The Six Kings Slam, a tennis exhibition held in Riyadh, was recently moved from October to December.

Crystal Palace ⬆ The South London club traveled to Olympique Lyonnais for its first-ever UEFA Europa League away match Thursday evening. Palace was meant to be in last year’s Europa League after winning the FA Cup in 2025, but because minority owner John Textor was also the majority owner of Lyon, the club was not allowed into the competition and instead competed in the UEFA Conference League. After Palace won that tournament and Textor sold his stakes in both clubs, Palace qualified for the Europa League this year, and Textor’s two former teams were allowed to face off Thursday.