Aaron Rodgers was raked over the coals by sports media for criticism of Anthony Fauci.
He finally got the last laugh.
And Fauci's lawyer went after Rodgers for taking off the gloves after Fauci's disgraceful senate performance.
Fauci's Lawyer Got Thrown Out of the Senate Hearing and Then Came After Aaron Rodgers
When Aaron Rodgers called Fauci an "absolute coward" and "an absolute criminal" on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show, Fauci's attorney David Schertler – the same lawyer Capitol Police escorted out of the July 29 Senate hearing after Rand Paul ordered him removed – fired back in a written statement to The Athletic.
"Aaron Rodgers doesn't know what he's talking about. He should stick to football," Schertler wrote.
Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio had a different assessment of Schertler – the kind of attorney, Moreno said, you only call "when you're in deep s—."
Schertler's problem is that Rodgers got every fact exactly right.
Aaron Rodgers Called Fauci an Absolute Coward and Criminal on The Pat McAfee Show
Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania was not expecting a Fauci hearing.
During a live broadcast of ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers – now 42 and entering his 22nd NFL season – was asked a routine question about returning for one last year under coach Mike McCarthy. He had something else on his mind.
"I'm gonna plead the Fifth," Rodgers said, mocking Fauci in front of the cheering crowd. "Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward."
"Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and you pleaded over 100 times. What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science."
Rodgers didn't stop at Fauci.
"How much time did the network spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status? On Taylor and Travis's wedding? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? No, I bet they didn't."
Rodgers pointed the finger at ABC, NBC, and PBS – the same networks that spent years calling Fauci America's indispensable public servant and went dark the moment his own diary contradicted the narrative.
"Spending the entire time writing in his diary about how fun it is to be famous. You gotta be kidding me. I am science – and he can't get up there and answer a question?"
https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/2084343615053037920
Fauci Pleaded the Fifth 111 Times and the Senate Voted to Hold Him in Contempt of Congress
Fauci sat before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29 and said one sentence for three hours straight – 111 times.
That sentence: "I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment to refrain from answering your questions."
Rand Paul made it plain: Fauci has no Fifth Amendment leg to stand on. Biden gave him a sweeping preemptive pardon covering his entire government service from January 2014 through January 2025.
A man the federal government can never prosecute cannot claim fear of self-incrimination to dodge a congressional committee.
"Dr. Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution," Paul said.
The committee voted 8–5 along party lines Thursday morning to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. Paul said he would certify the resolution through Vice President J.D. Vance and refer the matter directly to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor carrying a fine and up to one year in prison.
Fauci Diary Entries Show He Knew More Than He Told the American Public
Paul had released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci's private diary entries in the days before the hearing – pulled from a government server after an eight-month search.
While Fauci was telling families to cancel Thanksgiving, skip funerals, and keep children out of school, his own private notes showed a scientist wrestling with uncertainties he never once acknowledged on television.
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin pressed him directly. "Is that true? Did you literally lie to your own diary?" Fauci pleaded the Fifth.
Fauci dismissed the diary release as a political attack. He invoked the Fifth rather than address a single entry on the record.
Tony Fauci pleaded the Fifth 111 times, got held in contempt of Congress, and his own lawyer's response was to go after a football player.
Fauci's lawyer told Aaron Rodgers to stay in his lane. The Senate just voted that Rodgers was right.
Sources:
- Robert B. Bluey, "Aaron Rodgers Voices What Many Feel About Fauci," The Daily Signal, August 3, 2026.
- Andrew Phelan, "Fauci's Lawyer Fires Back at Aaron Rodgers," The Daily Signal, August 5, 2026.
- "Aaron Rodgers Eviscerates Anthony Fauci After Pleading the Fifth at Senate Hearing," Fox News, August 3, 2026.
- "Here's What's Next For Fauci – Contempt of Congress Vote Today," Forbes, August 6, 2026.
- "Senate Homeland Security Committee Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt of Congress," Spectrum News, August 6, 2026.
