Aaron Rodgers’ rant on the Pat McAfee Show forces Steelers’ P.R. department to release a statement following explosive remarks
Aaron Rodgers didn’t hold anything back when appearing on the Pat McAfee show after the Steelers’ first padded practice, and it created such a stir that the Pittsburgh Steelers P.R. person, Burt Lauten, had to release a statement.
If there’s any position in the NFL where you don’t want to be a distraction, it’s quarterback. For most of his two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers has been anything but. His teammates have praised him. His coaches have praised him. The people surrounding him have had nothing but good things to say.
But on Monday, some will say that Rodgers became a distraction.
After throwing darts on the practice field during the first day of padded practice, the Steelers quarterback went on the Pat McAfee Show and took a lot of shots. Rodgers talked about everything from the vaccine and Anthony Fauci to ESPN’s coverage of the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel scandal, along with a whole lot of other topics. The appearance went viral, generating headlines across national and local outlets.
So much so that Pittsburgh did something I’ve never seen them do, at least since I started covering the team: release a statement based on something one of their players said. Per Burt Lauten, the PR spokesperson for the Steelers:
“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.”
The Steelers felt compelled to respond, and that’s the real story
A canned PR answer, sure. Nothing you wouldn’t expect. But the fact that the Steelers felt inclined to release a statement at all is pretty weird, in my opinion.
Rodgers is kind of known for doing this. The Pat McAfee Show isn’t new territory for him. He was a regularly recurring guest during his time with the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets. That changed last year when he arrived in Pittsburgh, and you could argue he’s actually been less of a distraction since joining the Steelers, if you even wanted to call him that.
The bottom line is this: the team had to come out and release a PR statement about its quarterback. Headlines ran across NBC Sports, local stations, local news outlets, and blogs. Everyone paid attention to what Aaron Rodgers said rather than what he and the Steelers did on the first day of padded practice. That tells you everything about the level of noise this created.
This will blow over
But I have to be honest. I think this all blows over. I think it won’t be much of a big deal at all, and I think Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be just fine. Rodgers has weathered these kinds of moments before, and the team has shown enough stability around him that one viral interview during training camp isn’t going to derail anything.
