Aaron Rodgers, ironically on Pat McAfee Show, takes a dig at ESPN for baseless takes
Aaron Rodgers faced criticism from ESPN analysts now and then for the New York Jets' failures this season.
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Aaron Rodgers took shots at ESPN analysts for criticizing him all season (Image via Imago)
The New York Jets’ playoff hopes are officially over after their loss to the overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins. That meant the entire football world could not continue to call out Aaron Rodgers for making this season a colossal failure.
Aaron Rodgers played well against the Dolphins. However, the team could not hold on to their lead and eventually lost. The loss ensured that the 1% chance they had of reaching the playoffs vanished. But their season was lost much before that game.
After every embarrassing loss, analysts jumped to slam the quarterback for his power play which seemingly cost two jobs. Specifically, Stephen A. Smith and his colleagues at ESPN had launched tirade after tirade whenever the Jets lost.
But throughout the season Aaron Rodgers denied of any involvement in those franchise altering decisions. However, that did not stop those analysts from continuing to bash him. On his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, he went after those analysts again (starts at 1:38:00).
There’s a lot of non-former players and former players who are trying to stay relevant fame wise. So, the takes and the criticism are a lot different than they were maybe in the mid-2000s. I’m talking about these experts on TV who nobody remembers what they did in their career. So, in order for them to stay relevant, they have to make comments that keep them in the conversation.
Aaron Rodgers said
The four-time league MVP suggested those who were blaming him for the New York Jets mess were doing so for fame. As they did not have anything to talk about, he felt they preferred to slay Rodgers in order to stay relevant.
Aaron Rodgers reiterates his view on ESPN analysts
At the time of him saying those words, host Pat McAfee was gesturing if Aaron Rodgers felt he was a part of that set who was saying anything to stay relevant. But the 41-year-old clarified that McAfee was not a part of it and went on to say this.
Now it’s all talk shows and people whose opinions are so important now and they believe they’re the celebrities now. They’re the stars for just being able to talk about sports or give a take about sports, many of which are unfounded or asinine, as we all know. But that’s the environment we’re in now.
Aaron Rodgers added
He specifically did not call out ESPN, but he did mention Sportscenter, which is an ESPN show. When he suggested that those analysts were more concerned about their opinion and their social status, the QB might have been targeting some of McAfee’s colleagues, as ESPN analysts were the most vocal at attacking Rodgers this season.
With the way the New York Jets season winded down, the California native could not be completely off the hook. But his words suggest analysts have taken the easy road in criticizing him without knowing all the details. Ironically, he said all this on a show that is hosted by the same network those analysts work for.
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Joseph Varghese
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