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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sounding a lot like President Donald Trump these days, in that he’s saying exactly what he wants to say, without regard for how it lands.
Consider his remarks on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, when Rodgers was asked about his mindset going into what is believed to be his last NFL season, and he replied, “I’m going to plead the Fifth. Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci.”
Amid laughter, he went on: “Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you pleaded over a hundred times? ... What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science.”
Rodgers, who was with the Green Bay Packers during the COVID-19 pandemic, chose not to be vaccinated and lost an endorsement deal because of it. He has previously explained his position — and the reaction — on McAfee’s show, saying in 2021, “Look, I’m not some sort of anti-vax, flat earther. I am somebody who’s a critical thinker. You guys know me. I march to the beat of my own drum.”
But Rodgers wasn’t finished. He went on to castigate the media for spending too much time on his vaccination status and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. “Did they do even a minute, even a minute on Tony Fauci?” he asked. “I bet they didn’t.”
“And there was another scandal this off-season too involving a voter for MVP, for Coach of the Year. How much time did your network spend on that?” he asked McAfee, as the others on the stage pleaded “Go back to Fauci!”
Rodgers was referring to Dianna Russini, the former NFL writer for The Athletic who resigned after photos of Russini in a hot tub with New England Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel emerged. Some NFL analysts have pointed out the lack of coverage, saying there’s an ongoing cover-up. There also might just be a measure of respect for the families involved, but regardless, you can usually count on Rodgers to say what others won’t.
And now that the four-time MVP is a lame-duck quarterback, you can count on that more than ever. “I used to not really care. I care even less,” he told McAfee.
Rodgers has a one-year deal with the Steelers that will pay him $25 million and has recently reunited with family members from whom he has been estranged. (The reason for the schism and the reason it ended is nobody’s business, he said.) Then there’s his marriage, which he kept secret for a while, but now seems increasingly comfortable talking about. He has said that his wife was instrumental in his reconciliation with his family.
“I’m happy to be reunited,” he said, per CBS Sports. “That part of my life is a really beautiful addition, and I gotta give my wife a lot of credit. Not that she was pushing me, because she never was, but just the way that she loves and supports me, having her by my side during this process was really special.”
This version of Rodgers seems like a man who knows he is loved by the right people and isn’t interested in cultivating the favor of strangers. There’s a lot to be said for that.
That said, the exchange likely caused headaches in Pittsburgh executive suites, and the communications director for the Steelers released a statement saying, “Discussions around culture and politics can bring differing perspectives, and our players are entitled to their own personal views. With respect to that, I am certain there are a variety of opinions on many topics within our locker room.”
Players are entitled to their own personal views, for sure, but their employers might prefer they not express them, for the good of the team. It’s also worth noting that conservatives inclined to cheer Rodgers for speaking his mind may have not afforded the same grace to, say, Colin Kaepernick.
Rodgers hasn’t said much about what he plans to do post-football, although he did say he won’t be going to East Coast parties in what some saw as a dig at Tom Brady. But bear in mind, it hasn’t been all that long since he was on the short list of then-candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s list of choices for vice president.
And this week Steve Bannon floated the idea that Rodgers would be a great candidate, saying on his podcast, “Hey, Fetterman, you better quit playing footsie. If you wanna come over and be a Republican, OK, do it. You should do it for the right reasons though. But Aaron Rodgers will take you down in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
He added, “What do you think it would be like in the U.S. Senate if we had a guy like Aaron Rodgers and not John Thune?”
Sen. Aaron Rodgers? Stranger things have happened.
The backlash against influencers is growing
It’s not been a good week to be an influencer, at least an influencer as Gen Z defines the position.
First, there was that sign — the one hung at a craft shop in Nantucket — that said influencers were not welcome. The shop owner, John Sylvia, said the sign was “tongue-in-cheek” and wasn’t indicative of a formal policy keeping certain people out of the store.
But it certainly prompted debate, from people expressing disdain with the influencer class to influencer defenders saying the sign amounted to mockery of powerful women.
Then there was the outcry about a luxurious “summer camp” hosted for influencers by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
“There, the creators were treated to farm-to-table dinners, wellness activities like beekeeping, and classes on how to better use OpenAI products,” TechCrunch reported.
“ChatGPT is treating me niiiiiiceeeeeee this weekend,” one of the influencers posted on Instagram, apparently oblivious to how this might be perceived, particularly at a time when references to AI are being booed at university commencements. The feedback came in harsh and heavy, with one commenter on TikTok saying, “People will literally sell their soul and their planet down the river for a nice free hotel room” and another saying “please take time to assess your direction and this decision.”
It’s unclear how the influencers were selected — indeed, it’s not even clear if they knew — but they seem to understand the assignment, which was to promote the wonders of ChatGPT.
The optics, let’s just say, weren’t great.
All of this is unfolding in the same week in which Arizona State University is being scorched for offering a bachelor of arts in “content creation.”
According to the ASU website, “the program prepares you to become an influencer and strategic storyteller who thrives in the rapidly evolving creator economy. Program coursework emphasizes content planning, video and podcast production, global perspectives and personal branding.”
It comes on the heels of a Center for the Creator Economy launched at Syracuse University, and amid the rise of the news influencer on TikTok and other platforms. It’s been reported that the preferred career choice of more than half of Gen Z is influencer, even though about half of content creators earn less than $15,000 a year. Not everybody can be Ballerina Farm.
Recommended Reading
Twenty-five years ago, a British psychiatrist by the name of Theodore Dalrymple turned his observations about his patients’ struggles into a larger study of the underclass. Naomi Schaefer Riley revisits the work and says it still applies now.
She writes, “Dalrymple pushes back against the idea that economic circumstances inexorably lead to dysfunction and crime. He compares notes with some of his fellow doctors who visit from the most impoverished countries and they are shocked to see how badly people behave even when they are provided with a vast social safety net.”
Jay Evensen has heard all the arguments, pro and con, about the ending the filibuster. He would prefer this not keep coming up year after year.
“Three years ago, I quoted a paper on the essential nature of the filibuster, written by Senate expert Martin B. Gold for the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. Among other things, he said the filibuster makes the Senate more deliberative and thoughtful, even as it is forced to compromise with the minority party to obtain its goals. As a result, both parties become equal partners in solving the nation’s most difficult problems. Deliberate and thoughtful sounds a lot better than haphazard and vengeful.”
Nuke the filibuster? Don’t make me say ‘I told you so’
In the conversation about why young women are turning away from marriage, McArthur Krisna says the role of young men in this trend is not being talked about enough.
“If we are serious about strengthening marriage, the solution is not to pressure young women to marry or to tell them their expectations are too high. The onus is not on one party.”
Single women are no longer choosing shoddy marriages. What men can do about it
End Notes
In last week’s Right to the Point poll, we considered whether Donald Trump was courageous in going to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, given the animosity toward him from many in the audience. Here’s how that turned out.
Finally, if you’re not Fauci-ed out, here’s a look at why some people think we’ll never have a honest reckoning of what America did wrong and what we did right in the pandemic.
COVID-19 and Dr. Anthony Fauci: Are echo chambers drowning out the truth?
And because this is America, you can of course buy “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer” T-shirts on Etsy.
And also “Team Fauci,” if that is your preference.