Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers started the week off with a bang when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and criticized Anthony Fauci for pleading the Fifth Amendment over 100 times in a Congressional hearing tied to COVID-19, and ESPN, which he was on at the time, for not covering the Dianni Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal.
Rodgers’ scathing words earned him some heavy criticism, but he’s confirming now that he could not care less what people have to say about him.
“I don’t give a [crap] about anything that people think about me unless they’re in my corner and I would ask them for advice,” he told Jarrett Bell of USA Today.
“I don’t care about the criticism from people like that,” Rodgers said. “Most people have made up their mind about me, so it doesn’t matter what I say. It’s not going to change their mind because most people aren’t listening to the content of your words.
“They’re wanting to attack your character because they think you’re MAGA or they think you’re whatever tag they put on you — conspiracy theorist, anti-science. They’ve already made up their mind about me before this.”
Rodgers also touched on posting pictures to social media with his family, with whom he’d previously been estranged, ahead of what he is saying will definitely be his last season in the NFL.
“I feel like it was part of the full-circle nature of this last season for me,” Rodgers said. “There’s been a narrative out there. There’s not been a lot of information that’s truthful about it. And I think that the personal life should stay personal and private. . . .
“But I feel like it was part of the full circle to just one-time post something, and never again. So that that narrative can finally be put to rest.”
It’s certainly a little strange for Rodgers to claim he doesn’t care about what’s being said of him while also looking to put narratives to rest. Ultimately, however, Steelers fans are probably just hoping he can end the franchise’s 10-year playoff win drought.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.