ESPN executives are furious with Aaron Rodgers after he called the network ‘gutless’ during an explosive appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday.
The divisive NFL icon made his long-awaited return to McAfee’s show, which is licensed by and broadcast daily on ESPN, from the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ training camp.
In a wild segment, Rodgers slammed ESPN for its handling of the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel affair scandal and also unleashed on ‘coward’ and ‘criminal’ Anthony Fauci in a blistering Covid rant.
While ESPN licenses McAfee’s hit show, the network does not pay any fee to Rodgers when he appears. Instead, McAfee pays for special guests like the Super Bowl winner out of his own pocket.
But, nevertheless, the sight of Rodgers eviscerating ESPN on their own airwaves caused consternation in the offices of executives at their Bristol, Connecticut, campus.
And the Daily Mail has been told ESPN is plotting a bitter revenge that it can unleash on Rodgers over the course of the upcoming season, which will be his last in the NFL.
ESPN executives are furious with Aaron Rodgers’ appearance on The Pat McAfee Show
ESPN, led by chairman Jimmy Pitaro, is considering how it will handle Rodgers this season
‘ESPN executives are extremely unhappy with Aaron Rodgers following his comments on The Pat McAfee Show and are now weighing how they want to handle coverage of his highlights during the upcoming season,’ a source said.
‘The feeling internally is that there is little desire to go out of the network’s way to promote Rodgers after he publicly criticized ESPN, and any hope of repairing that relationship is believed to be virtually nonexistent.
‘There is also a sense that, if Rodgers ever decided he wanted to pursue a future as a television analyst ESPN would not be a realistic landing spot.
‘Many within the company are said to have little interest in working with him after his comments about the network and politically charged nonsense.’
Rodgers has never expressed any interest in moving into the commentary booth once he walks away from the NFL after one final season with the Steelers.
The 42-year-old quarterback would love nothing more than to add a second Super Bowl title to the one he won with the Green Bay Packers in 2011.
But next season’s Super Bowl, due to take place in Los Angeles on February 14, is being broadcast by ESPN and the potential sight of Rodgers dazzling in the NFL’s biggest game could be the ultimate comeback for him in this feud.
The source continued: ‘Looking ahead, on the minds of many at ESPN, is that most are crossing their fingers that the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t reach the Super Bowl.
Rodgers slammed ESPN for its handling of the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel affair scandal
Rodgers also unleashed on ‘criminal’ Anthony Fauci and discussed his reunion with his family
‘ESPN is broadcasting the game, and having Rodgers in that game would create a number of challenges, from securing interviews and behind-the-scenes access to navigating the obvious tension surrounding his relationship with the network.
‘The concern isn’t that the broadcast couldn’t be handled professionally, but that covering one of the game’s biggest stars after such a public outburst would add an unnecessary layer of complexity to the network’s biggest event of the year. Nobody would like to deal with his complete lack of tact.
‘So, the quicker the Steelers are mathematically out of the playoffs, the better. And these are their thoughts even before the season even starts. It only has the chance to get worse, especially if Aaron opens his mouth again.’
When contacted by the Daily Mail, ESPN declined to comment.
The Steelers are widely considered to be outsiders to make a Super Bowl push this season. They have not made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2017 and sit in a difficult division with Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals and Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens providing tough opposition.
They also have difficult games against non-division teams such as the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and Vrabel’s New England Patriots, which will be mouthwatering in the wake of Rodgers’ comments on Monday.
The Russini and Vrabel scandal dominated the American media landscape for weeks during the NFL’s offseason but Rodgers alleged to McAfee that ESPN seemingly stopped its reporters from discussing it.
He slammed the network for overlooking a scandal that seemingly may have sporting consequences for the NFL, saying: ‘What are the network [ESPN] doing?
‘You have literally an individual that maybe used to work at ESPN that covers our league at the highest level, and there’s a major scandal, and it’s just like, nobody can f***ing talk about it? What are we even doing here?’
While ESPN licenses McAfee’s hit show, McAfee pays for special guests out of his own pocket
Rodgers will have the last laugh if he can somehow guide the Steelers to ESPN’s Super Bowl
When countered by McAfee’s co-host Boston Connor, who claimed ‘personal lives are personal lives… I feel like you of all people should know that,’ Rodgers added: ‘I understand, but if it’s affecting certain things.
‘If there’s leaks going on, if there’s tampering going on… if that person is also an MVP voter and a Coach of the Year voter? … How are we allowing these people to have an impact?’
‘I told these boys I was bringing it today!’
Rodgers, who has long been a vaccine skeptic and was extremely outspoken about the Covid-19 pandemic, didn’t hold back as he eviscerated Fauci in the wake of his decision to continuously plead the fifth amendment in a hostile senate hearing.
The four-time NFL MVP also discussed his recent reunion with his family, but quickly told McAfee and his viewers that it’s ‘nobody’s f***ing business.’
Earlier this year in April, Rodgers invited his parents to attend his induction into the Pleasant Valley High School Hall of Fame.
Last month, Rodgers shared photos on Instagram documenting a ‘bonding week’ in Nashville with his family, including his mother Darla, father Ed, brother Luke, niece Evie and nephew Jack.
The reconciliation came after years of public distance between Rodgers and his family. The turning point began in 2023 when Rodgers reconnected with his father, Ed, at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe for the first time in nearly nine years.
The Steelers quarterback reunited with members of his family after a period of estrangement
Rodgers continued: ‘Honestly, the reason there was a schism and the reason we’re back together is nobody’s f***ing business. I gave a little glimpse and I’m not going to do… I don’t even really post any more.
‘I posted our trip in Idaho, the previous post I posted before that was from the Malibu trip the year before. I’m not going to be posting a bunch of stuff and blowing it up.
‘It’s good to have a full circle, there’s been a lot of full circles the past year. People don’t know and they shouldn’t know, it’s none of their business. There’s a lot of conjecture because I’m the darkness guy, I’m the Covid endangerer guy, I’m this and I’m that.
‘I used to not really care… I care even less. I’m going out after this, I’m not going to be out there doing a podcast, chasing down weird-ass parties on the east coast and wearing white. I’m going to be out of the light, so I might as well get a couple in.
‘Especially when I get a chance to get after that gutless organization you have to be connected with. I just don’t care any more. All I care about is getting out there on that field and playing my best ball.’
