Pat McAfee is as relieved as the rest of us that the Aaron Rodgers circus is headed for the offseason.
McAfee acknowledged the headaches the four-time NFL MVP’s appearances on his show each Tuesday have created for him, with none bigger than those of the last week, and said he’s glad to get a break from his Wednesday clean-up duties.
“We’ve given a lot of people who’ve been waiting for us to fail a lot of ammo in things to attack us for over the last week. And we would love to get back to the point where we just move on,” McAfee said Wednesday during the intro to “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer. He’s a four-time MVP. He’s a massive piece of the NFL story (and) whenever you go back and tell it, he will be a huge part of it. We’re very lucky to get a chance to chat with him and learn from him,” McAfee said. “But some of his thoughts and opinions do piss off a lot of people. And I’m pumped that that is no longer gonna be every single Wednesday on my life, which it has been for the last few weeks.
“On Friday, obviously, I throw us into the fire as well. Forever stand by that,” McAfee said, referring to his accusation that an ESPN executive was trying to sabotage his show. “Everything else, though, just can’t do that, and it’s not what we want to be known for. And I’m also pumped that I don’t have to do these types of talks anymore. So with that being said, sports are alive right now.”
It was a refreshingly introspective take from McAfee on the firestorm Rodgers created last week with his baseless suggestion Jimmy Kimmel would be linked to Jeffrey Epstein, who trafficked underage girls to the rich and famous. Rodgers has courted controversy before, but this attempt at a sick burn of Kimmel was irresponsible at best, defamatory at worst, and it brought McAfee and his show an onslaught of deservedly negative headlines for a solid week.
Rodgers’ lame attempt at an explanation Tuesday did nothing to quiet the noise, given it wasn’t an apology and he continued to spout conspiracy theories and easily debunked nonsense.
“The way it ended, it got real loud. Real loud,” McAfee said. “I’m happy that that is not going to be my mentions going forward, which is great news.”
To be clear, this wasn’t McAfee dropping Rodgers from his show. Rodgers has typically only appeared during the regular season and into the playoffs – though he was usually still playing during the postseason. The New York Jets are, obviously, not a playoff team.
But McAfee should consider making the hiatus permanent. For Rodgers’ sake.
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As host of the Pat McAfee Show, it’s understandable why McAfee wants Rodgers as a regular guest and pays him handsomely to be one. Just as people gawk at traffic accidents, so, too, do they tune in every Tuesday to see what kind of dumpster fire Rodgers is going to start. His off-base assertions on COVID-19 treatments and Dr. Anthony Fauci and his F-bombs might create some uncomfortable moments for McAfee, but it’s a ratings boon.
And McAfee is no dummy. Say what you want about his show, but he’s been a genius when it comes to building his platform and his brand. McAfee was a punter for the Indianapolis Colts. A Pro Bowler, but a punter for a small-market team, nonetheless. Yet he’s made himself ubiquitous in the sports landscape and done so in a very short amount of time.
Passing on guaranteed ratings gold is not a smart business move, especially when you’ve just moved to ESPN.
But as Rodgers’ supposed friend, McAfee has to know the long-term damage this is doing and his role in it.
Rodgers was once an appealing and relatable superstar, in your living rooms and local watering holes at seemingly every commercial break. It wasn’t hard to imagine him having a career like Peyton Manning’s when he was done playing. Now Rodgers is considered by many to be a kook, someone who let himself get hoodwinked by junk science and conspiracies. He’s fast becoming the NFL’s version of Curt Schilling, and no one should want that for someone they call a friend.
Rodgers is a grown man and can make his own choices. Be held responsible for them, too. But true friends don’t enable destructive behavior, and that’s exactly what McAfee is doing. Has been doing.
This isn’t “censorship” or “canceling” or any of the other ridiculous ways Rodgers has characterized holding people accountable when they say and do stupid things. This is a friend recognizing his friend has lost the plot and it’s costing him his legacy, and deciding he’s no longer going to aid and abet that.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
