Having covered the NFL since 2010 — and with a recent focus on the AFC North — Aditi Kinkhabwala is more than qualified to offer opinions on a variety of topics around the league, including the play of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.
But when the CBS Sports sideline reporter did just that on Monday night, she received pushback, not only from some fans, but a prominent NFL quarterbacks trainer.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kinkhabwala compared Pickett’s recent struggles to questions that pundits previously had about current MVP candidates Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy and C.J. Stroud.
“Tua Tagovailoa was allegedly a bust… until he worked w/ Mike McDaniel. Brock Purdy allegedly had questionable arm strength… until Kyle Shanahan. CJ Stroud allegedly couldn’t intellectually manage a football field… until Bobby Slowik. You CANNOT judge Kenny Pickett until…” she wrote.
Tua Tagovailoa was allegedly a bust… until he worked w/ Mike McDaniel. Brock Purdy allegedly had questionable arm strength… until Kyle Shanahan. CJ Stroud allegedly couldn’t intellectually manage a football field… until Bobby Slowik. You CANNOT judge Kenny Pickett until… https://t.co/BW3y8z00uf
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) November 21, 2023
Kinkhabwala’s point seemed clear; while Pickett hasn’t played well this season, he also hasn’t been put in a position to succeed. And while there’s no guarantee that coaching could be the difference between the second-year signal-caller being one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL and an MVP candidate, it is notable that the Steelers fired their much maligned offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, on Tuesday.
Kinkhabwala’s comparison, however, appeared to fly over the heads of many, who opted instead to focus on her bringing up the previous criticisms of Tagovailoa, Purdy, and especially, Stroud. That included personal quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery, who has worked with Stroud, and took to social media to criticize Kinkhabwala.
“I’ll never know if she’s a reporter or a mouthpiece,” Avery wrote. “She consistently says the dumbest stuff.”
Despite the personal insults, Kinkhabwala did her best to engage Avery in a conversation while clarifying her point.
“Quincy, do you not believe that sometimes there are terrible narratives made about people and ‘alleged’ judgments made about them,” she wrote. “And then those same people are put in position to succeed and it’s all shown as false? That was merely my point.”
Avery, however, opted to stick with the personal attacks.
“My point is you say a lot of silly stuff,” he replied. “I’m never sure [if] it’s from [your] actual reporting or you just say stuff that someone from the team told you to say.”
My point is you say a lot of silly stuff. I'm never sure id it's from hour actual reporting or you just say stuff that someone from the team told you to say.
— Quincy Avery (@QuincyAvery) November 21, 2023
After a follower pointed out that Kinkhabwala is entitled to her take, Avery made it clear his issue wasn’t necessarily with her opinion, but rather her sharing it in the first place.
“Her job is not to give opinions,” Avery wrote.
Her job is not to give opinions
— Quincy Avery (@QuincyAvery) November 21, 2023
Obviously, Avery’s stance is an outdated one, as analysis isn’t just something reporters are allowed to offer — at this point, it’s expected. Furthermore, whether you agree with Kinkhabwala’s take on Pickett or not, there’s nothing about it that infers she’s being used as a mouthpiece for the Steelers or Pickett, as Avery repeatedly implied.
It’s also curious that Avery would go after Kinkhabwala in such a public and personal manner, as one of his most high profile clients is Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Kinkhabwala has served as the Browns’ team-employed sideline reporter for the past two preseasons and even did a one-on-one interview with Watson last year, in which, for the first time, the quarterback offered remorse to the several women who had accused him of sexual misconduct.
This isn’t the first time Avery has made headlines this season, as he also engaged in a back-and-forth with Fox analyst (and former Browns quarterback) Brady Qunn last month over the former Notre Dame star’s criticism of Watson. But while one could argue that both Avery and Quinn wound up looking bad in that exchange, there’s no question who was in the wrong this time around.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.