Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy attempted to shift the focus after his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, went on a scathing rant about Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“These are grown men,” McCarthy, 62, told reporters on Tuesday, August 4. “They all have different opinions. There’s no question about that.”
He continued, “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. We had our second meeting yesterday. We’re in a good spot.”
Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten also issued a statement about Rodgers’ remarks on Tuesday.
“Discussions around culture and politics can bring differing perspectives, and our players are entitled to their own personal views,” Lauten said. “With respect to that, I am certain there are a variety of opinions on many topics within our locker room.”
During an appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, August 3, the ever-outspoken Rodgers, 42, referenced Fauci’s appearance during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee last week, during which the immunologist invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to all questions.
“I’m going to plead the fifth,” Rodgers said when asked about his mindset heading into the season. “Like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci. Absolute coward.”
He continued, “Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you pleaded over 100 times at the White House? What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. I thought, ‘I am science,’ and you get up there and you can’t answer a question? What are we doing?”
In a 2021 interview on CBS’ Face the Nation, Fauci said, “I represent science.” He was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, spearheading the federal government’s response to COVID-19.
Fauci explained his invokement of the Fifth Amendment, citing what he called Sen. Rand Paul’s “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.”
Rodgers openly criticized ESPN during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, saying the network has been more concerned with discussing his decision to forgo getting the COVID vaccine instead of the scandal involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini.
“What is the network doing?” Rodgers questioned. “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 nobody can f***ing talk about it? What are we doing here?”
