PITTSBURGH, PA — An attorney for Dr. Anthony Fauci has fired back against Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' scathing takedown of the scientist on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show."
McAfee broadcasted live Monday from Steelers training camp in Latrobe and the show featured an appearance by Rodgers, who has been a frequent guest on the program. McAfee asked Rodgers about his thoughts on what the quarterback has said will be his last season in the NFL.
"I'm gonna plead the Fifth," Rodgers said. "Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me?
"You got a pardon and you pleaded [the fifth] over 100 times. What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were the science, and he gets up there and can't answer a question."
The answer was a jab at Fauci, the former National Institute of Health leader whose medical expertise was relied upon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci made headlines by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights more than a 100 times during a congressional hearing on July 29.
Rodgers long has been an outspoken critic of Fauci and the U.S. government's handling of the pandemic, which killed more than 1.2 million people.
Rodger's remarks drew a rebuke on Tuesday from David Schertler, Fauci's attorney.
"Aaron Rodgers doesn't know what he's talking about," Schertler stated in an email to The Athletic. "He should stick to football."
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the controversy on Tuesday.
"You know, these are grown men," McCarthy told reporters, the New York Post reported. "They all have different opinions. There's no question about that.
"But at the end of the day, my job is to keep it about football, keep the focus on winning. That's why we're here."
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