During an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers slammed the toxicity of “PC woke culture.”
“There’s a PC woke culture that exists,” the Green Bay Packers quarterback told Pat McAfee. “And there’s a cancel culture at the same time, and it’s based on people’s own feelings of maybe personal [misery] or distaste for their own situations or life or just the enjoyment of holding other people down underneath their thumb.”
"I'm so fortunate for this platform because I think people get to see me in a different light.. I like to speak the truth & I'm not a part of this woke cancel culture that gets off on trying to silence people all the time" ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/Z3yZFaiqhx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 19, 2021
Rodgers comments come after he was unfiltered in the end zone following a six-yard rushing touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
“I’ve owned you all my f—ing life!” Rodgers shouted at the Bears fans while celebrating with his teammates. “I own you. I still own you.”
In response to his taunt, Rodgers said fans gave him the “the double bird” and that fan interaction is “the state of our culture … this woke PC culture” in his interview on the “Pac McAfee Show.”
Rodgers said he didn’t regret the comment “at all” as the 34-14 win over the Bears improved Rodgers to a 22-5 over the team.
“I don’t think I was saying something that wasn’t necessarily close to the truth. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, it’s your prerogative,” he commented on the show.
When he took time away from football during the offseason, Rodgers said, he became a target of “PC woke culture.” When he missed minicamp, he said he was called “selfish and entitled” and as a result, his relationship with the Packers deteriorated in a few weeks.
“Pick a topic, from my family to my leadership style. They run with these stories, and when I respond to it, then I’m being sensitive,” Rodgers said. “There’s a game within the game. If the player abides by the rules of the game, he’s part of the game. The rules of the game are: You must acquiesce with the woke mob at all times. However, when you live above the game, the game does not exist, and that’s where I’m at.”
"Are we getting that soft as a society where we can't have a back & forth now.. somebody can pay for a ticket & say whatever the hell they want which they should be able to but the ONE time I say something back I've disrespected an entire city & organization" ~@AaronRodgers12 pic.twitter.com/6BNYBnPI4G
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 19, 2021
Rodgers called society “soft” and criticized the fact that “back and forths” can’t happen without someone getting offended.
“There is this culture that exists, that gets off, I think, on shrinking people, keeping them small, keeping them in a box, quieting them through cancellation or demeaning comments,” Rodgers said.
“I also exist outside of that in a different realm where I do feel confident in things I say and I do stand by what I do. I like to speak the truth and I’m not part of this woke cancel culture that gets off on trying to silence people all the time.”
