Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is set to play his last NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a poor performance during the Steelers’ playoff loss against the Houston Texans last season, Rodgers opted against retiring and will play under coach Mike McCarthy for his 22nd and final season in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers Takes Victory Lap Over Dr. Anthony Fauci
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, Rodgers blasted former White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci for invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a congressional hearing last week.
When asked about by Pat McAfee about his “mindset” for the upcoming season, Rodgers replied, “I’m gonna plead the Fifth like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci. Absolute coward.”
“Are you kidding me? You got a pardon, and you pleaded [the Fifth] over 100 times?” Rodgers added. “What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. I thought you [were], ‘I am science.’ And you get up there, and you can’t answer a question?”
Rodgers continued, “How much time did the network [ESPN] spend on that? How much time do they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status, on Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce’s] wedding? Did they do even a minute? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? No, I bet they didn’t.”
“I’m pleading the Fifth 😂😂
You’ve gotta be kidding me” ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/kg3y0uMxxR
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 3, 2026
Rodgers has long been a critic of the COVID-19 vaccination, and at the height of the pandemic in 2021, he lied about his immunization status. The lie was revealed after he contracted the disease and was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, causing him to miss the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Instead, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed that he had received homeopathic treatment. He committed several NFL COVID-19 protocol violations, including not wearing a mask during news conferences and attending parties, resulting in a $14,650 fine.
Health officials widely criticized Rodgers for spreading vaccine misinformation when he claimed during a segment of “The Pat McAfee Show” in 2021 that ivermectin was beneficial to people who contracted the disease.
“For me, it involved a lot of studying in the offseason,” Rodgers said. “I put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the medical field to get the most information about the vaccines before making a decision.”
Rodgers is not the only high-profile current or former NFL player who has celebrated Dr. Fauci’s woes before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last week. Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley also publicly celebrated Dr. Fauci’s apparent misfortune.
