
Football season doesn't start until Aaron Rodgers makes the rounds for non-football news.
The future Hall of Famer was back at it on a Monday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," airing his grievances on Dr. Anthony Fauci and ESPN's coverage of, among other things, the Dianna Russini scandal.
Rodgers' views on Fauci aren't surprising, given his well-documented opinions on several medical and scientific-related issues.
However, his comments ruffled some feathers again, at least outside of the building. If you were to ask Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, he couldn't care less about any of his players' personal views.
“You know, these are grown men,” McCarthy told the media. “They all have different opinions. There’s no question about that. But at the end of the day, my job is to keep it about football, keep the focus on winning. That’s why we’re here. We have a good locker room. We have a player council that’s in place and we had our second meeting yesterday, and so I think we’re in a good spot.”
Mike McCarthy, asked about Aaron Rodgers’ appearance on @PatMcAfeeShow yesterday pic.twitter.com/czlf57wbJD
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 4, 2026
Notably, the Steelers took a similar approach to Rodgers' comments, releasing a statement through spokesman Burt Lauten, per Steelers Deport.
Steelers' statement on Aaron Rodgers' Monday interview on The Pat McAfee Show, via WTAE "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…
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 3, 2026
Of course, every player is entitled to his views on anything, but the Steelers definitely don't need another distraction right now.
Rodgers refrained from making his usual weekly appearances on McAfee's show last season. Whether this return will be a one-time thing or he'll go back to his old ways remains to be seen.
However, given his fondness of making incendiary comments and driving the focus away from the gridiron, perhaps McCarthy will want to reach out to him and urge him to keep his opinions to himself until the end of the season.
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