Hoping to give him as little airtime as possible.
Aaron Rodgers is obviously a polarizing figure in the NFL, never afraid to speak his mind on controversial issues or take shots at his critics…even on their own network.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback went scorched earth earlier this week during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, calling out Dr. Anthony Fauci for his testimony (or lack thereof) in front of Congress last week, and the media for their coverage of Rodgers and his stance on the COVID vaccine.
During the interview, Rodgers went scorched earth on the doctor during his appearance on McAfee’s show, calling out the doctor for his failure to answer questions while the media demanded answers from the quarterback.
After McAfee asked Rodgers his mindset coming into what he says is his last season in the NFL, Rodgers decided to pull a Fauci instead:
“I’m gonna plead the fifth, like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you plead it over 100 times? What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were the science? ‘I am science’ and you get up there and you can’t answer a question? What are we doing?”
Rodgers then turned his fire on the media who’s letting Fauci get away with not answering questions:
“How much time did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week, on my vaccination status, on Taylor and Travis’s wedding? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? Nah, I bet they didn’t.”
He then called out ESPN – the network that airs McAfee’s show – directly, for failing to adequately cover the Dianna Russini scandal earlier this year:
“There was another scandal this offseason too, involving a voter for MVP, for Coach of the Year. How much time did your network spend on that?”
Awkward…
Now, ESPN has no control over McAfee’s show: The network pays for the rights to license the show, so it’s up to McAfee to decide which guests he has on and what is said. But the network reportedly isn’t happy with the Steelers QB, and is hoping to give him as little coverage as possible during what will be his final season.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, ESPN executives are “extremely unhappy” with Rodgers, and “weighing how they want to handle coverage of his highlights” during this upcoming season.
“Looking ahead, on the minds of many at ESPN, is that most are crossing their fingers that the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t reach the Super Bowl.”
The report also claims that Rodgers has destroyed any potential opportunity of getting a position at ESPN after his retirement, if he decides to pursue a career in broadcasting. But the quarterback has always said that he plans to disappear from the public eye after he hangs it up, so I don’t think Rodgers is really too worried about that.
I’m also not really convinced that having the Steelers in the Super Bowl would be a bad thing for ESPN. The 2027 game marks the first time the network will broadcast the Super Bowl, and having a “feud” between the quarterback and the network would obviously add to the conversation surrounding the game.
Of course, that would require the media to put the viewers ahead of their own feelings, something that they haven’t been great at doing in the past…
