After per week of controversy, New York Jets signal-caller Aaron Rodgers was welcomed again to The Pat McAfee Present with applause and a standing ovation from its host. (To be honest, McAfee is all the time standing, although not less than he’s carrying sleeves as we speak.)
What followed was more of the same — a wild rant concerning the efficacy of COVID vaccinations, calling Dr. Anthony Fauci one of many greatest purveyors of misinformation, and claiming that most of the conspiracy theories that Rodgers ascribes to have turned out to be true.
McAfee promised to “check” Rodgers on his misinformation — earlier than asking the 40-year-old conspiracy theorist to inform him what to verify him on. However each time McAfee mentioned, “I’m gonna have to check you on that,” it was like a beginning gun for Rodgers to begin cramming as a lot BS as he may in earlier than the host tried to chop him off.
When the ex-punter “checked” Rodgers’ claims about Dr. Fauci and COVID vaccines — little doubt as a result of somebody was telling him to into his earpiece — Rodgers went on and on about research by what he deemed as respected scientists (learn: Those who help his viewpoint) however did not, ya know, cite a single research. He even accused “them” — whoever they’re — of attempting to censor anti-vaxxer Alex Berenson, after which went on and on about anti-malaria medicine and Dr. Fauci’s monetary stake within the COVID vaccines.
“Your use of efficacy today really showcased your intelligence,” McAfee advised his visitor, who’s paid to make his weekly look on this system. McAfee added that Rodgers had performed in all probability “more research than anyone else on earth” relating to COVID.
Hey, I exploit the time period “string theory” on a regular basis, I couldn’t start to elucidate to you what which means for astrophysics. And whereas Rodgers could use just a few of the buzzwords of the scientific group, he doesn’t have the tutorial basis to grasp what he’s studying, apart from to say it sounds good and matches in together with his worldview.
Rodgers invited McAfee and the viewers to “fact check me!” a number of occasions, and it took me all of 30 seconds to seek out out that his claims had been unfaithful. First, after the QB accused the mysterious “they” of closing California seashores and “locking everyone up” throughout the pandemic when he mentioned everybody is aware of that Vitamin D and C are efficient in treating colds.
Right here’s the place I level out that, regardless of the decades-long marketing campaign by Huge Vitamin, whereas Vitamin D has been proven to have some benefit throughout a chilly to individuals with low ranges of vitamin D, there was no demonstrable efficacy in individuals with regular Vitamin D ranges. Vitamin C is just not efficient in treating colds in any respect.
I additionally fact-checked Rodgers’ declare about Dr. Fauci having a monetary stake in COVID-19 vaccines, which looks like an issue for somebody serving in a governmental, policy-making choice. Shock! Seems Rodgers didn’t fairly have all of the info on that declare, both. The very first thing that got here up after I fired up the ole Google machine was this blurb from factcheck.org:
“Documents show that Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins received 58 royalty payments from 2010 to 2021 for their research. Only three of the payments came in 2020 or 2021; the rest were made prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But social media posts falsely claimed all the payments were “for allowing companies to use their COVID-19 vaccines.”
…The royalties are for scientific analysis and different improvements by NIH institutes and facilities that had been licensed to be used by third events, reminiscent of pharmaceutical corporations. A few of the cash goes again into analysis, however a portion is shared with the federal government employees who invented the patented or licensed know-how.”
The QB then blamed the media for not understanding his feedback — which everyone knows is his go-to play — however his clarification for what he was attempting to say about late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and Jeffrey Epstein was completely unintelligible.
Rogers tried to gaslight the viewers into believing his brand-new declare that he by no means referred to as Jimmy Kimmel a pedophile. As a substitute, Ayahuasca Aaron verbally attacked ESPN PR chief Mike Foss, who characterised Rodgers’ Kimmel “joke” as being “dumb and factually incorrect.” That didn’t sit properly with ol’ Aaron. He’s actually delicate about one thing he spews being referred to as dumb.
In maybe probably the most revealing phase, Rodgers insisted a number of occasions that he “doesn’t care” what Kimmel says about him. However then, he introduced up the late-night host accusing him of getting a “JuCo education” three separate occasions, all whereas insisting that he’s a really clever individual. And, it doesn’t matter what McAfee’s intentions had been, he as soon as once more sat there and cheered Rodgers on all through the whole unhinged rambling, whereas AJ Hawk sat there silently together with his customary dumb look on his face. (What would you say you do here?)
There may be much more I may say about Rodgers’ ignorance and McAfee’s enabling, however principally I’m simply unhappy that that is the sort of present getting $85 million and that, as evidenced by the boys screaming at me on social media, it appeals to so many individuals. Rodgers is an simply led, not-very-bright man who sees himself as the neatest man in each room and is determined for everybody to see him as such.
If ESPN anticipated McAfee to wash up his mess this week, that mission failed spectacularly. Rodgers didn’t precisely stroll again his feedback on Kimmel in a manner that earthlings may perceive and, absent accusing an harmless individual of pedophilia, Rodgers’ misinformation was arguably the worst it’s been to this point.
However Rodgers isn’t going to return round to understanding what he did mistaken, or what he says that’s mistaken. As a result of admitting he’s mistaken would debunk his biggest conspiracy principle of all: That Aaron Rodgers is the final of the deep thinkers, and that anybody who criticizes him isn’t a pondering individual. What Rodgers doesn’t know is that he proves that conspiracy principle mistaken each time he opens his mouth.
