Behind the Lens: Rodgers’ rant stirs Steelers training camp
The 2026 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe is rolling through its second week under new head coach Mike McCarthy's leadership. There have been plenty of surprises thus far, from player interaction with fans, on-field performances, alumni player attendance and even a fight, believe it or not, between fans over autographs.
Perhaps the biggest surprise took place on Monday after the first day the team hit the plush green campus practice fields in pads. It involved a current Steelers starter and NFL veteran and his vocal rant that totally blindsided team players and personnel along with countless live listeners.
A vast number of age-old adages exist, the likes of, "Never mix business and pleasure," "Loose lips sink ships," "Don't mix politics and religion," and the list goes on. My favorite, being in the business I'm in, "Politics have no place in sports." Unfortunately, some athletes don't adhere to that and choose to mix the aforementioned. That only leads to big trouble, as nothing good ever comes out of it.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is no stranger to being in the middle of controversy as he has not been shy when it comes to voicing his opinion during his NFL tenure. I understand everyone has their viewpoint on any topic and freedom of speech is one of our constitutional rights. However there comes a time when individuals need to keep it in check and reserve their opinion for a less public audience.
Making an appearance after Monday's practice on the live broadcast of “The Pat McAfee Show,” the host began by presenting a football question to his guest. Rodgers, with microphone in hand, went totally off script, embarking on an 8-10 minute verbal nonsports tirade. He went absolutely ballistic on the media, ESPN, Dr Anthony Fauci and those individuals who were critical of his views on COVID-19 and the vaccine.
The Steelers signal caller wanted nothing to do with McAfee's question replying, "I'm gonna plead the Fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you pleaded the Fifth over 100 times at the White House. What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. I am the science. And you get up there and you can't answer one question?"
Next up on Rodgers' hit list was the news media, as he lambasted every facet of it. He especially targeted ESPN and the lack of coverage during the offseason scandal involving its on-air personality Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Varbel. Rodgers would become more vocal as time went on.
His longstanding resentment of the media reportedly dates back to the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic as he was widely criticized for refusing the vaccine. He opted for alternative treatments during the pandemic. Rodgers said, "What are they going to say about me now? You can't talk about the COVID stuff because it was obviously made in a lab in China. That's not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal. I'm on good terms with my family. What are you going to say about me now....It's nice to be sitting on this side now, especially after that coward pleaded the Fifth over 100 times. I thought you had a pardon Tony? Why wouldn't you answer one question the entire time?
"[They said] I was endangering my teammates and this and that. Now look at what happened. They suppressed early treatments. They lied about where it came from. Tony Fauci was writing in his journal about I don't want to create any vaccine hesitancy if I tell them what the actual stats are....I sat here amongst a lot of actual brave Americans who avoided a trillion dollar propaganda campaign that was hijacked on the American public and look at us now."
After some prompting, Rodgers eventually returned to conversing about football and relevant topics relating to sports as the show was intended to be from its onset.
The Pittsburgh Steelers later issued a statement shared by Pittsburgh's Action News 4 saying, "Discussions around culture and politics can bring differing perspectives, and our players are entitled to their own personal views. With respect to that, I am certain there are a variety of opinions on many topics within our locker room," Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said via email.
I agree with Mr. Lauten wholeheartedly. As previously stated, everyone is entitled to formulate their own opinion and views on any topic. It's what makes the world go round. In referencing age-old adages like in the beginning of this column, I overlooked another of my favorites, "Opinions are like a body part. (you all know the exact verbiage) we all have one."
Monday’s McAfee show from Latrobe caught me totally by surprise as well and started my brain and thought process working overtime to try and make sense of why Rodgers would jump up on his soapbox on a show designed specifically aroundthe world of sports. I couldn't come up with a viable answer to that question. However, it made me think of a question I would have posed to Rodgers had I been the host of the show and the interviewer.
As I have stated many times not only in today's column but others I have written as well, everyone is entitled to their opinion on any topic. With that in mind, here's my question if I would have been able to ask Aaron Rodgers. What makes you any different from me in reference to the COVID-19 vaccine?
My answer, generally speaking, is absolutely nothing. We are both men, we put our pants on one leg at a time and so on and so on and so on. However regarding the vaccine, that's where we are vastly different. All who follow this publication and my career know sports photography is my forte. In the following paragraphs I'll leave our readers with my opinion, which I'm entitled to do.
Aaron Rodgers had an issue with the COVID-19 vaccine and the only repercussion he suffered was being blasted in the media. A road he has been down dozens of times in his career. That's it. Nothing else. He was still able to go to work as an NFL quarterback, perform his job duties, thus earning a paycheck just like always.
In my profession as a member of the working media, the PIAA (which governs high school sports in Pennsylvania), NCAA, NBA, MLB and the NFL all mandated that I be vaccinated to be able to cover their events. I had to provide a current photo of myself along with a copy of my COVID-19 vaccination record complete with the manufacturer of said vaccine. Sign and return a copy of the league's paperwork stating all my information was accurate and true and that my vaccine shot record was not falsified in any aspect. Failure to comply would result in the withholding of a media credential to work said event.
Short version was, no vaccine, no job, no paycheck. So, if Aaron Rodgers had an issue with being forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine (which he didn't), maybe he should have walked in not only my shoes but millions of other hardworking Americans. We didn't receive any special treatment that was afforded to him.
Feel free to formulate your own opinion.
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