Aaron Rodgers took a brutal swipe at ESPN pundits who ‘believe they’re celebrities now’ in an astonishing rant while on the network’s Pat McAfee Show.
The outspoken New York Jets quarterback, who has come in for criticism amid the team’s horror form in 2024, hit out at sportscasters while assessing how TV analysis has changed since his early playing days.
‘There’s a lot of people talking about the game now,’ he told McAfee during his latest weekly appearance on the former NFL punter’s talk show. ‘Both non-former players and former players who are trying to stay relevant fame wise.
‘So the takes and the criticism are a lot different than they were maybe in the mid-2000s.’
While clarifying that he wasn’t speaking about McAfee, Rodgers then directed his attack specifically towards ESPN pundits he feels consider themselves ‘celebrities’ simply for analyzing sports.
He also claimed that the network’s sports programs have changed for the worse in recent years after reminiscing about watching SportsCenter as a youngster.
Aaron Rodgers took a brutal swipe at ESPN pundits who ‘believe they’re celebrities’ this week
Rodgers hit out at the network’s analysts amid his nightmare season with the New York Jets
First Take, which is fronted by Stephen A. Smith, is one of the most popular shows on ESPN
‘I’m talking about these experts on TV who nobody remembers what they did in their career,’ the four-time NFL MVP continued. ‘So in order for them to stay relevant, they have to make comments that keep them in the conversation.
‘That wasn’t going on in 2008, 2009. The SportsCenter of my youth, those guys made highlights so much fun. And that’s what they showed on SportsCenter.
‘Now it’s all talk shows and people whose opinions are so important now and they believe they’re the celebrities now, they’re the stars for just being able to talk about sports or give a take about sports, many of which are unfounded or asinine, as we all know. But that’s the environment we’re in now.’
First Take, the daily talk show fronted by Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Molly Qerim, has been one of the most popular programs on ESPN for quite some time.
Despite not being an ex-athlete, Smith is regarded as the face of the network after amassing a huge following of six million on X and close to a million on his YouTube channel.
The 57-year-old has been heavily critical of Rodgers this season amid his woes for the Jets, claiming last month that his team’s disastrous form is ‘all on him’.
Rodgers, whose ex-girlfriend Shailene Woodley recently admitted her ‘toxic’ relationship with the quarterback still makes her cry, is facing calls to retire after losing 10 out of 13 games and missing out on the playoffs with four still to play.
