During his weekly appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” the NY Jets quarterback spoke about his future and the controversy surrounding him
Aaron Rodgers, once again, had a lot to say on Tuesday.
Appearing on his weekly “Pat McAfee Show” spot, the New York Jets’ starting quarterback addressed the recent controversy surrounding his comments on TV host Jimmy Kimmel.
Rodgers said it was “an interesting week” and noted that the history between the two dated back to their differing viewpoints on COVID-19. The quarterback also called Dr. Anthony Fauuci “one of the biggest spreaders of misinformation,” reiterated his previous stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, and called Kimmel’s jokes about his stance an “L.”
"It's been a very interesting week and a lot of things have been said..
This history between Jimmy Kimmel and I goes back to Covid times" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/PVinCJtzp8
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 9, 2024
Rodgers then explained the reasoning behind his comments about Kimmel.
“There’s excitement about when the corruption anywhere gets exposed, and the people accused of these heinous crimes are exposed. It would be nice if we could get this all out in the open. I made this comment on the show last year, and unprompted, he came out and said that I’m an overly concussed wacko, in my opinion, because it seemed like there was a list and that there were names on that,” said Rodgers.
“Fast forward to this last week, and I said many people, including Jimmy Kimmel, hope that doesn’t come out…I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be. For him to be upset about that I get it. Did you watch the quote? Because that’s exactly what I said on the show. I’m not stupid enough, even though you think I’m an idiot, to accuse you of that with zero concrete evidence. That’s ridiculous.”
"I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero concrete evidence."
Aaron Rodgers gives his side of the controversy with Jimmy Kimmel pic.twitter.com/wSUGyqTLhW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
Additionally, Rodgers ripped ESPN’s SVP of Production, Mike Foss, saying that he is “not helping” and called his statement “the gameplan of the media.” He mentioned censorship and canceling during COVID-19, using the government to achieve these motives, and name-calling used if these methods do not work.
Aaron Rodgers continued with a tirade against mainstream media, including ESPN SVP of Production Mike Foss pic.twitter.com/tbeUfU8SD8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
Besides addressing his controversial comments, Rodgers did talk about some football.
Regarding his comments during the team’s media availability, the future Hall-of-Famer said that “we’re on the hot seat every year.”
“Every year, you have to prove yourself, whether you are the quarterback, any position, or the coach. If you go out and prove that you are a valued asset, that you can get the job done, and you still got it, then you’ll still be around,” said Rodgers.
He also reiterated that, even with him suffering an injury this past season, he likes New York and wants to play “for a few more years.”
"We're on the hot seat every year and every year you've gotta prove yourself..
I like it here and I'd like to play for a few more years" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/lmTN3FSrQ1
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 9, 2024
Whether you agree with Rodgers or completely disagree with him, one thing is crystal clear.
The quarterback’s actions fly directly in the face of what he wants for the Jets’ organization going forward: eliminating “the bulls–t that has nothing to do with winning” from the building.
No athlete should be told to “shut up and dribble.” Players can provide insight and amplify issues that need to be seen.
That is not the case with Rodgers, though. He directly stated yesterday that the organization as a whole needs to eliminate outside distractions and only focus on football. However, his comments and recent “McAfee” appearances have only brought more unnecessary distractions to the team.
Rodgers has the talent and ability to bring the Jets to a level they have not been to in over a decade. But for that to occur, the entire Jets’ organization must be committed to winning, from the owner to the players.
Even if he thinks otherwise, that sentiment applies to Rodgers, perhaps more than any other player on the roster.
Regardless of your POV on the topics Aaron has discussed in various forums, it is difficult to draw a nexus to that being a “distraction to the team”. How?
He’s not inviting the lockerroom to declare their opinion and pick sides.
His views on Covid vax etc are his views, period. he’s still the greatest teacher at 1JD and was voted Most Inspirational by his teammates this year.
Only THE MEDIA sees Aaron as a distraction, most bc they disagree with his personal views.