Troy Aikman's role with the Miami Dolphins has sparked plenty of conversation, with the Hall of Famer turned broadcaster having been brought on to help with the GM search during the early off-season.
Aikman was brought on as an advisor with a rather undefined role, but he has been kept on beyond the staff searches, seemingly remaining an advisor.
But while Aikman's fingerprints are all over the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan, there have been questions over his role in the day-to-day running of the team, and Phins head coach Jeff Hafley has now answered that question.
Hafley told reporters on Tuesday, "I think, right now, Troy has been a good sounding board. He’s a guy that I’ve talked to a few times. We’ve had some really good conversations, and I’ll continue to do that.”
Troy Aikman's Miami Dolphins role seems harmless, but will the NFL step in and change the current rules?
Aikman being labeled a "sounding board" by Hafley seems to confirm his status as an advisor, not a true member of the front office. Still, questions remain about the ethics of his relationship with Miami.
Some have criticized Aikman's ability to be an in-game analyst while also advising a franchise, but the NFL did not outlaw Tom Brady working as an analyst while being a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. The Dolphins simply took advantage of their ability to hire Aikman, who has a far lesser influence compared to Brady.
Rule changes may be made, with some calling for analysts to be barred from visiting team facilities. While it's part of their broadcasting role, it could provide information that could be fed back to the franchise that those analysts have a stake in.
And perhaps Aikman did not help the cause to keep the rules the way they are, admitting that he will be "pulling for the Dolphins" going forward.
The NFL has declined to comment on concerns over Aikman's ability to work with the Dolphins, as reported by ProFootballTalk. In reality, any concerns over sporting advantage will likely be irrelevant until the Dolphins rebuild starts taking shape, which could take some time.