After being asked during a national media broadcast about his mindset going into his final season in the NFL, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers evaded the question and turned to criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I’m gonna plead the Fifth,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday. “Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me?”
Rodgers currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers and this will be his 22nd year in the league. He called out Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to the president who during a congressional hearing on July 29 invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times.
In 2021, the mercurial quarterback misled the media about having had a COVID-19 vaccination, and since has been vocally critical of Fauci and the federal government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, per USA Today.
After calling Fauci a coward, Rodgers continued to criticize the former presidential adviser for more than two minutes.
Later Monday, the Steelers gave a statement in support of Rodgers’ right to give his comments on “The Pat McAfee Show”
“Discussions around culture and politics can bring differing perspectives, and our players are entitled to their own personal views,” Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten said in an email, per Sports Illustrated. “With respect to that, I am certain there are a variety of opinions on many topics within our locker room.”
“What are you scared of, Tony?” Rodgers said, continuing his comments about Fauci. “I thought you were the science.”
“It’s been a great life and a great career, and it’s nice to be sitting on this side now especially after that coward pled the Fifth over 100 times,” he added.
The football player also turned his criticism toward mainstream media outlets, per The Hill.
“And how much time did the network spend … on my responses every week, on my vaccination status, on Taylor and Travis’ wedding?” he said.
“Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci?” Rodgers continued. “Nah, I bet they didn’t.”
McAfee tried to turn the conversation back to football as Rodgers continued his remarks about Fauci.
“I thought you had a pardon there, Tony. Why couldn’t you answer one question the entire time?” he said.
McAfee chimed in, saying, “I’ve got four minutes till the hard out.”
The quarterback confidently responded that he could keep going about Fauci: “I got at least four minutes.”
Rodgers also called out ESPN, the network that airs “The Pat McAfee Show.” He brought up the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel relationship and the lack of coverage from ESPN over the issue, per Fox News.
Rodgers also brought up different things the media has said about him over the years, saying that he has recently reconciled with his family, so they can’t talk about that anymore.
“What are you going to say about me now?” Rodgers said. “Seriously, what are they going to say about me now? Now, you can’t talk about the COVID stuff because obviously it was made in a lab in China. That’s like not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal.”