Mike McCarthy speaks at introductory press conference after being hired by Pittsburgh Steelers. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
By Tyler Lauletta on

After Aaron Rodgers’s latest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, it was only a matter of time before his new coach was asked to weigh in on his comments.

Rodgers, whose views on the COVID-19 pandemic are well known, sat down with McAfee on Monday and immediately criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, calling him an “absolute coward,” among other things.

On Tuesday, Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was asked if he had anything to say about Rodgers’s recent comments.

“These are grown men. They all have different opinions. There’s no question about that,” McCarthy said. “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. I think we’re in a good spot.”

McCarthy would likely prefer if Rodgers was willing to “keep it about football” as well, but the four-time MVP has shown in recent years that he is more than happy to share his non-football views from his podium, especially as a guest on McAfee’s show, where he was a weekly guest for a few seasons.

For now, getting asked these types of questions is simply the price of doing business for having Rodgers as your quarterback. McCarthy seems pretty unfazed by his quarterback’s comments, which makes sense given how much time the two spent together in Green Bay.

Rodgers has said that this is his final NFL season. Once the actual games get going, McCarthy and the Steelers will hope that the conversation is more about their team’s play than whatever Rodgers has most recently said into a microphone. Where the media attention ultimately goes will depend on how good the Steelers are and what Rodgers decides to comment on next.

About Tyler Lauletta

Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.

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