Troy Aikman Thinks Instant Replay, NFL Officiating is Broken

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman has questioned the need for instant replay in the NFL, calling it overcomplicated.

At a time when the Premier League is experiencing it’s first season of VAR, Troy Aikman has highlighted issues with the NFL instant replay system, which is over 30 years old now.

The Fox Sports broadcaster told the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast that he finds the delays caused by penalties ‘nauseating’.

The issue with instant replay, or VAR, is that it doesn’t guarantee that 100% of referee decisions will be correct. The call still comes down to an individual’s interpretation, meaning that controversy still cannot be avoided.

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“At a time when the league and sport is trying to do all that it can to get the calls right, there’s more controversy than there’s ever been before. I’ve never been a fan of instant replay,” Aikman said.

“I didn’t like it when I was playing and I didn’t like it when it returned when the votes were made years ago to make instant replay part of our game,” he revealed. 

“I just think that for the most part, the officials were doing a good job. There were times when I was impacted by the wrong calls and there were times I benefited from the wrong calls. I think over time, it evens itself out.”

The idea that referee decisions even out over the season is also a prevalent one among ex-Premier League pros. What soccer fans have found is that VAR or instant replay mainly serves to increase scrutiny on referees, and not the game.

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“I like what Bill Parcells said back at the time. If we can get all the calls right all the time, then he was in favor of it, but if we can’t, then he was not,” Aikman said. 

“Now we’re reviewing pass interference. That’s only complicated things from the fan’s perspective. ‘Okay, well, why isn’t that pass interference? Why isn’t that called?’ It’s put these officials in a really tough position. They’re gun shy, to be quite honest with you. The scrutiny has never been as intense as it is right now.