Troy Aikman is a retired football player and NFL Hall of Famer. He’s 58 years old and a California native, although he’s best known to football fans for his years playing for the Dallas Cowboys, where he won three Super Bowl rings. After his football career was over, he returned to California, where he has a summer home in Montecito. You see where we’re going with this, right? Well, Aikman was doing promotion for his new line of light beer, and Us Weekly obviously asked him about his famous neighbors, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Sidenote: it really feels like H&M made Montecito into a globally-renowned destination, right?

NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman has some very famous neighbors at his home in northern California — but their paths haven’t crossed yet. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, 58, said he’s been spending part of his summer at his property in Montecito, near the residence of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.

“I haven’t run into them,” Aikman said, while speaking to Us about his EIGHT Elite Light Beer. “But they are there, from what I can gather. I think anyone with a heartbeat knows that they’re out there. But I’m not hanging with them, that’s for sure.”

Aikman joked, “I don’t think they’re drinking much light beer.”

While he might not be sharing any cold ones with the Duke, 40, and Duchess, 43, this summer, Aikman explained how he still manages to enjoy a few beers while being in “the best shape of my life.”

“I’m more mindful of what I’m eating and what I’m consuming,” Aikman said of his dedication to health and wellness. “No processed foods. Those who know me know I love beer. But those who know me know I also love to work out. They thought, well, isn’t that a contradiction of your lifestyle? Instead, I think it’s a total compliment because I really do feel like life has to be celebrated.”

[From Us Weekly]

This is Us Weekly’s exclusive, and they weren’t shady at all – they were clearly doing a promotional interview with Aikman as part of his beer launch, and they cleverly got him on the record about his neighbors in Montecito. So why is every other outlet running this as “Aikman snubs the Sussexes” or “Football icon has no interest in meeting Harry & Meghan?” The way I read this, he wasn’t being snarky at all – he was making fun of himself, saying he’s not cool enough to hang out with them, and that he’s an average-joe beer drinker while they’re probably a lot fancier. The thing is, I’m sure Harry probably loves a light beer?? Aikman should call up his neighbor and see if Harry wants to drink some beer and watch a football game.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.