Rodgers in a downward spiral 

Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most influential sports analyst in America. Therefore, it speaks volumes that he has branded “that baaaad man, Aaron Rodgers,” as one of the best to play the game of football. 

Except that, in what can only be described as a tragicomic descent, Rodgers seems determined to rebrand himself as a shock-jock conspiracy nut. 

His rant on yesterday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show demonstrated this in spades:

In a 30-minute-long unglued rant Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers blasted an ESPN executive for issuing an apology for the New York Jets star’s insinuation that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was an associate of the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. … 

The former Green Bay Packer then portrayed himself as a victim of so-called cancel culture. … [Even so, he was] using his ESPN platform to promote the unproven coronavirus treatment ivermectin while baselessly claiming that vaccinations have caused widespread injuries and deaths.

Sadly, this looked like a desperate bid for relevance. Injuring prevented Rogers from playing all season. So, he traded the pigskin for a tin foil hat.

Of course, we enjoy freedom of speech. Therefore, the way Rodgers is destroying his legacy might not seem as damning as the way Pete Rose damned his by betting on his sport. Or the way Lance Armstrong damned his by fueling his way to record-setting victories on a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs.

Except that Rogers is spewing health misinformation and conspiracies. And millions worldwide follow his rantings on social media. Therefore, he could have caused the deaths of thousands, albeit unwitting. 

Jeopardy’s narrow escape

In December 2021, Rodgers auditioned to host Jeopardy. Perhaps that was a good-faith effort to change the trajectory of his off-field legacy. But the show blocked what could have been its biggest jeopardy yet – replacing the intellectual gravitas of Trebek with the bloviating bravado of Rodgers. 

One shudders at the thought of this notorious peddler of conspiracies hosting a show famous for displaying general knowledge of hard facts.

Kyrie Irving: A Study in Contrast

Think what you will of Kyrie Irving, but he was man enough to suffer the truth and consequences of being unvaccinated.

By contrast, Rodgers lied on camera that he was vaccinated. Even worse, he fraternized with teammates and other players until media hounds exposed his brazen, cowardly lie. 

A season-ending Injury: irony or karma?

Mere minutes into the first game of this NFL season, Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury. That now seems almost poetic. After all, he might have avoided that injury if he had spent more time prepping his body to play football than peddling conspiracies “to own the libs.”

Fox News gaslighter Laura Ingraham once famously told LeBron James to “shut up and dribble.” A similar admonition might be Rogers’s only lifeline to save his sinking legacy. Rogers should “shut up and throw.“

MAGA mania on ESPN

ESPN is the mother of sports media. It features Rogers ranting and raving weekly on The Pat McAfee Show. Therefore, it speaks volumes that he spent so much time today whining about the media conspiring to cancel him. 

He even gaslighted everyone by insisting he never said Kimmel was on Epstein’s list. You know, just like he insisted he was vaccinated. How Trumpian, right?

Meanwhile, Rogers keeps daring the media to cancel him by peddling brazen lies and dangerous conspiracies – as he did today about Kimmel and Epstein and Dr. Fauci and vaccines. 

A case in point was when he mocked the disability of the late Sen. John McCain. McCain suffered crippling injuries during the Vietnam War. But, instead of apologizing to the McCain family, Trump doubled down and then played the victim. 

Likewise, Rogers is doubling down and playing the victim. In effect, he’s quarterbacking his own demise. So, here’s to ESPN canceling him and all his sponsors dropping him like a bad rash, as they should. 

UPDATE

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 4:19 PM

ESPN suspends Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is done as a guest on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show for the remainder of the NFL season. …

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision to end Rodgers’ regular Tuesday appearances was due to his recent behavior, not the conclusion of the regular NFL season. … During the previous two NFL seasons, Rodgers appeared on McAfee’s program as late as March.

(CNN, January 10, 2024)

But who does ESPN think they’re fooling? Rodgers is done for the season like Kanye was done for the season at Adidas...