Aaron Rodgers takes issue with ESPN's statement regarding his Jimmy Kimmel comments
As promised on Monday, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers addressed on Tuesday his comments from last week about Jimmy Kimmel and Jeffrey Epstein.
Said Rodgers last Tuesday: "There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that [Jeffrey Epstein list] doesn’t come out."
Kimmel predicted on Monday that Rodgers would not apologize for clearly implying that Kimmel's name is on the list. Kimmel was right. Rodgers didn't apologize.
Instead, Rodgers rambled (and he was indeed rambling, while also declaring victory) about the COVID vaccines and protocols before explaining that he meant Kimmel would be upset by the mere publication of a Jeffrey Epstein list, because Rodgers seems to think Kimmel criticized Rodgers last February for thinking a list exists.
"I was referring to the fact that, if there is a list . . . and there are names on it, then it would be the second time that a soft-brained, junior college student, wacko, anti-vax, anti-Semite, spreader of misinformation, conspiracy theorist, MAGA, whatever other things have been said by him and other people in the media would be right twice."
While it's unclear how smart Rodgers actually is, he's smart enough to twist the facts just enough to fit within his claim that he didn't say what he said. By tweaking ever so slightly the root beef with Kimmel to "Kimmel thinks I'm a wacko for saying a Jeffrey Epstein list exists" from "Kimmel thinks I'm a wacko for saying the government is using UFO sightings to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein list" (which is what happened), Rodgers dramatically altered the implications of his statement.
The only problem with this strategy comes from the fact that ESPN's Mike Foss said last week in a formal statement issued by the company that Rodgers "made a dumb and factually inaccurate joke" about Kimmel. And so, for the second time since Friday, an ESPN executive got called out on Pat McAfee's show.
"Mike, you're not helping," Rodgers said regarding the Foss statement on behalf of ESPN. "I just read earlier exactly what I said. So, and this is the game plan of the media, and this is what they do. They try and cancel — and it's not just me. It's nowhere near just me."
Rodgers then tried to say he's not painting himself as a victim. After spending 20 minutes or so showing how he has been victimized by this situation.
The ball is now back in ESPN's court, given Rodgers's rejection of ESPN's effort to clean up the mess Rodgers made last week. Will there be a statement from ESPN responding to Rodgers's comments about Foss?
Maybe, if there is, it will land on late Friday afternoon. Just like last week's statement from Mike Foss did.
