Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Absolutely Blasts ESPN For 'Clickbait'

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not seem to be pleased with how late in the week they left to travel to Dublin, Ireland for their Week 4 contest against the Minnesota Vikings due to jet lag. Minnesota was reportedly told that they had to leave at the same time, so it was at least an even playing field. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also previously voiced his wish to be there earlier, so he could experience the culture and go sightseeing a bit. They did get the win, so that's all that matters now. 

During his postgame press conference, Rodgers was asked about those comments about wanting to travel earlier in the week. He responded by directly calling out ESPN for how they covered that story. 

"ESPN wrote a clickbait headline taking my words out of context, which isn't the first time," Rodgers explained. "My desire all three times [my teams] came overseas was to come early in the week, especially if you have a bye week afterwards. Some of that is out of control of the teams, some of it might be, but I would always love to get on a time [zone] you're in and get to enjoy the area a little bit more."

Rodgers continued on, as he spoke about the history and all the sights he wanted to explore in the Emerald Isle. He knew that it was a business trip, but it's always nice to take a little time away from the business to take in the scenery of a foreign land.

Of course, Rodgers' issues with the media is nothing new, as he has repeatedly bashed reporters and certain sites for how they view him and supposedly turn many things he does into negatives. This ongoing war of words will likely keep going even after his retirement, as his name is usually good to get some views online. 

As a football player in general, the media can definitely be obnoxious at times, which is why there are so many viral clips of people doing everything they can to say nothing. Head Coach Mike Tomlin even went viral for walking out on a postgame press conference as an ESPN reporter was asking him a question about his contract. 

Steelers May Have Legitimate Gripe About Timing Of Their Trip To Ireland

During the week, Owner Art Rooney II announced that it was a collective decision by both teams and the NFL to leave the U.S. on Thursday and arrive in Dublin on Friday morning. However, an NFL executive directly refuted that claim, as he said that the league had no say in when the teams left. Rooney also said it was a "football decision," which also seems false when multiple players have publicly voiced their desire to arrive a lot earlier. 

Even though they won, they got dangerously close to blowing a 24-6 lead. Many players were clearly fatigued, and a couple of cornerbacks were in and out of the rotation with muscle issues and cramps. Arriving early would have most likely helped to minimize those issues. Instead, they had to fight through it all and edge out a 24-21 win that did not feel as close for the first 55 minutes of the game.

Luckily, the Steelers now have their bye week to rest and recover from this trip and get ready for the rest of the season. Getting almost everyone back at full strength will be huge for Pittsburgh, who will be trying to get a stranglehold of the AFC North when they get back.