Aaron Rodgers has never really been a quarterback who minces words. But ahead of what’s likely to be his final NFL season, Rodgers let all of his opinions fly during his latest podcast appearance. That included a hot take on the Dianna Russini offseason controversy with the New England Patriots head coach.
Rodgers appeared on the Not Just Football Podcast, which is hosted by his Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Cameron Heyward, this week. The podcast released its interview with Rodgers in two parts. The second half dropped Thursday.
One of the more notable topics the Steelers teammates discussed was how the media covered the Russini alleged affair with Patriots’ Mike Vrabel. Rodgers put ESPN on blast over its coverage, or lack thereof, of the former NFL insider.
“You’re a gutless organization because they haven’t said anything,” said Rodgers. “They spend so much time on certain issues, but you won’t talk one second about the Dianna Russini situation?
“What just happened? Let’s see, the owner of the Niners, solicited a prostitute for $140 in Ohio. That literally was the number one topic. When you click on ESPN.com, they will rotate the eight stories or whatever they have, but they usually have the one story that’s featured. That was the featured story.
“So, you’re bringing how many millions of eyes to that situation? Why do you want to throw Jed York under the bus? I don’t know. But does that have the same effect as a reporter who has intimate relations with a coach who has a vote for MVP, has a vote for Coach of the Year? I don’t know if she’s on the Hall of Fame or not, but there’s voting stuff.”
Aaron Rodgers Rips ESPN over Dianna Russini Coverage
Rodgers continued on his rant about ESPN ignoring the Russini controversy with Vrabel.
There was the thing about Morgan Moses going from the Jets to New England that was posted a day early,” Rodgers added. “How many other inside stuff was shared?
“There are a lot of insiders out there. Do they all have strong integrity? I don’t know. But the fact that ESPN spent zero time on that story, but Jed York gets popped in San Fran, it’s literally on the top of their roll right now. That’s hypocrisy.”
It’s important to note while tearing ESPN to shreds, Rodgers didn’t even mention Vrabel by name. So it would be inaccurate to suggest New England caught any strays in Rodgers’ ESPN critic.
That’s key with the Patriots set to face the Steelers in Week 2 on September 20. Any Patriots player or fan perhaps looking for a little extra edge won’t find any bulletin board material from Rodgers.
But that’s really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what Rodgers said about Russini and ESPN.
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First, although both York and Russini are sex scandals, they aren’t the same. The Russini controversy is centered around morality — how does a journalist/head coach benefit professionally because of their close relationships?
In York’s situation, a crime was allegedly committed.
It’s worth noting Rodgers has had it out for ESPN for a long time. Really, Rodgers hates all mainstream media, and he has chosen to make ESPN his piñata. The quarterback only appears on ESPN for interviews with his friend, Pat McAfee.
During Thursday’s podcast appearance, Rodgers commended McAfee as not only the best part, but only good part of ESPN. The quarterback called every other show on the network “horrible.”
A lot of pundits in sports journalism might agree ESPN isn’t what it used to be, particularly from a journalistic perspective. But horrible? Every other show but McAfee’s?
That doesn’t sound like an opinion from a completely objective man.
In ESPN’s defense, the World Wide Leader was hardly the only media outlet ignoring the Russini story. It was major news for several weeks in the tabloids and on aggregation websites. But all the while, multiple Patriots and national insiders openly admitted they didn’t want to talk about it.
Not long after the NFL Draft, it mostly dissipated from the public eye. Other than news about a potential Russini media comeback, Rodgers is really the only notable public figure to call attention to it again.
That’s not to say Rodgers was wrong with his hot take. Putting aside Patriots fandom, the Russini-Vrabel controversy was newsworthy. ESPN, and other outlets, shouldn’t have ignored it.
New England fans probably just don’t want to hear about it anymore, especially from their polarizing Week 2 opponent.
Aaron Rodgers Fires Dianna Russini Hot Take With Patriots Week 2 Showdown Looming