USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith apparently agrees with Aaron Rodgers.
Earlier this week, Rodgers went on ESPN to rip Dr. Fauci to shreds for pleading the Fifth over a hundred times during a congressional hearing.
“I’m gonna plead the 5th. Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were the science?” Rodgers said.
“How much time did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status? On Taylor and Travis’ wedding? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci?”
Aaron Rodgers when asked about his mindset coming into his last season, via @PatMcAfeeShow:
“I’m gonna plead the fifth. Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward.”pic.twitter.com/0vNWdLjGJf
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 3, 2026
On Thursday, Smith backed Rodgers, and went on his own rant, crushing Fauci.
“The man pleaded the Fifth 111 times, but they got a hold of his diary,” Smith said. “When you talk about self-adulation being taken to a new level, definitely, he was guilty of at least that. We learned that masks, 6 feet distancing, these were not scientific decisions being made. This was made by a man whose ego was just larger than life.”
“It was embarrassing not only to him, but it was embarrassing to us who took his word as gospel and ignored all the cynicism and criticism that was coming his way,” Smith continued. “We sat back, and we bought his stuff hook, line, and sinker. He was the face of science.”
Smith went on to say that he owed Rodgers an apology for criticizing him in the past over his stance on the vaccine.
“I felt compelled to go on the airwaves and apologize to the likes of NBA star Kyrie Irving or an NFL star like Aaron Rodgers because of the scrutiny they received, the assist that I provided in aiming that scrutiny, or assisting in that scrutiny coming in their direction, because the face of science was telling us: this is not what’s supposed to be happening, and the level of dominion and control that he was having over the lives of American citizens,” Smith added. “This is shameful, it’s shameful.”