Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks has been dominant on the field for his team’s defense on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. But Brooks got flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the third quarter.
After the call was made on the field, ESPN NFL analyst Troy Aikman had a few words to say about it.
What Did Troy Aikman Say About the Refs’ Call On Jordyn Brooks?
Aikman was highly critical of the call after it was made. The referee threw a flag after Brooks, according to the referees, taunted Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Aikman, who was on the call for ESPN with Joe Buck, immediately came out swinging with stinging criticism of what took place. At the time, Pittsburgh was up 21-3 over the Dolphins.
Troy Aikman strongly disagreed with this taunting call against the Dolphins.
“That’s ridiculous. That’s not much… I think it’s a terrible call.” pic.twitter.com/Svr2mZVCMa
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 16, 2025
“I personally didn’t see anything after the play,” Aikman said. “But we’ll take a look at it and see if we can’t follow it. I know the official who threw the flag, he was quite a bit away’s away.” After hearing an explanation from ESPN’s NFL rules analyst, Aikman said, “That’s ridiculous. That’s not much… I think it’s a terrible call.”
Another NFL-related account, Rate the Refs, posted on X, “Dolphins flagged for taunting for standing over a player. Troy Aikman is not afraid to call out a call he disagrees with”.
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ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark, who was in Pittsburgh with ESPN sports anchor Scott Van Pelt and fellow NFL analyst Jason Kelce, wrote on X, “So you can’t look at folks?” Jason, an NFL fan, added his two cents: “I love that Troy Aikman called out the @NFL on some of their ridiculous rules and penalty calls.”
Josh Wilson, who used to cover the Indianapolis Colts, added his thoughts: “Troy Aikman is a terrific analyst, but one of the most underrated reasons why is that he isn’t afraid to criticize bad officiating. He doesn’t go overboard, but also doesn’t shy away from it. It’s refreshing.”
Frandy, another NFL fan, watched the Brooks play on the field and wrote, “Who is asking for the refs to call these “taunting” penalties in the NFL? Why are these being called? Who wants this? Makes no sense”.
Although the controversial call from the refs will not end up being the deciding factor of the game between the Steelers and the Dolphins, but still the officials should do a better job.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
