Emotional Tribute on “Monday Night Football”

The atmosphere in the ESPN broadcast booth during the Eagles-Cowboys game was quite heavy as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman took a moment to remember their late colleague, David Moulton. Moulton recently passed away after a challenging six-year fight with stage four renal cell cancer, a fact shared by his wife on Saturday.

“This team lost a dear friend and coworker this week. Our buddy David Moulton passed away at the age of 60,” Buck said, as the network played a clip of Moulton, humorously dressed as Sulley from “Monsters Inc.”

“He was my right-hand man during my time at Fox covering golf, and Troy, he was yours in the booth for NFL games. We really loved him. Our thoughts go out to his wife Julie, his daughter Melissa, her husband Sean, and their children. He was a tremendous help to Gary Danielson, too. He had this amazing ability to provide information effortlessly during the broadcasts. He will be missed, that’s for sure.”

As Aikman prepared to speak, he became visibly emotional.

“No, he will not,” Aikman began, his voice catching. “He fought right up to the end and… sorry…” He struggled to continue. “He left a hole in a lot of people’s hearts. Just a really good man.”

David Moulton had been a part of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” team for several years alongside Aikman and Buck. Before joining ESPN, he served as a spotter for Fox on NFL games, and also worked with Gary Danielson for SEC games on CBS.

Moulton, who was 59 at the time of his passing, left the “Miller and Moulton” show with Mark Miller in August due to health reasons.

“He is definitely missed up here, well put,” Buck replied to Aikman. “There aren’t many tougher than David Moulton, especially considering everything he faced in the past couple of years. His grandkids, Oakland and Reese, were everything to him, so we’re sending lots of love to the Moulton family.”

Kevin Burkhardt also acknowledged Moulton’s death while commentating on the Lions-Packers game for Fox.

“Just a guy that everyone loved to be around,” Burkhardt remarked. “Gone too soon. David Moulton, you will be missed, my friend.”

Aikman took to Instagram on Monday to share his thoughts about Moulton.

“Since 2018, David Moulton has been my right-hand man in the broadcast booth. What started as a professional relationship evolved into a cherished friendship,” he wrote. “David was loyal, dependable, and a warrior until the very end. He deserved better. My heart breaks for his family and all who loved him.”

“I’m grateful for the years we shared and will miss him deeply. Rest in peace, big guy.”