Anthony Fauci’s lawyer responds to Aaron Rodgers: ‘He should stick to football’

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 05, 2026 · 456 words · By Collin Ward

Media Bias and Coverage Public Health vs. Personal Opinion Professionalism in Sports

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What to know about Media Bias and Coverage

Anthony Fauci’s lawyer is not letting Aaron Rodgers’ COVID-19 rant go unanswered.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Anthony Fauci’s lawyer is not letting Aaron Rodgers’ COVID-19 rant go unanswered.

Why it matters

During Monday’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers attacked Dr.

Common ground

Fauci for being an “absolute criminal” and “absolute coward.” Rodgers also brought up a conspiracy theory that Fauci’s wife’s sister is Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Whataboutism: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Media Bias and Coverage story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that A day later Dr. Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, said in an email to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, “Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He should stick to football.”?
How does this story connect Media Bias and Coverage with Public Health vs. Personal Opinion over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/sports/anthony-faucis-lawyer-responds-to-aaron-rod…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Whataboutism 85% confidence

Deflecting criticism by pointing to a different issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing whataboutism helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Ad Hominem 90% confidence

Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

Why it matters: Recognizing ad hominem helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

verified Verified By Reference 2

cancel Disputed 1

schedule Pending 1

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Claim 1: “A day later Dr. Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, said in an email to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, “Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He should stick to football.””

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results confirm that lawyer David Schertler emailed Saad Yousuf of The Athletic with the specific quote 'Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He should stick to football.'

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web search NEUTRAL — On Tuesday, Fauci’s lawyer responded to Rodgers. Via Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, David Schertler said this via email: “Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He should stick to football.…
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/new…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Fauci’s lawyer David Schertler fired back at Aaron Rodgers over his "criminal" rant, saying the QB "should stick to football."
https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/sports/anthony-faucis-lawyer-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — Fauci’s lawyer, David Shertler, responded in an email to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. “Aaron Rodgers doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Shertler said. “He should stick to football.”
https://www.mlive.com/sports/2026/08/dr-faucis-lawyer-respon…

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Claim 2: “The Steelers quarterback then also took the opportunity to question ESPN’s coverage of other scandals around the league”

CORROBORATED

Multiple cross-references explicitly identify Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ estranged parents sell Chico home for $1.7 million
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/news-wrap-southern-californ…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Pittsburgh Steelers four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/aaron-rodgers-eviscerates-a…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Pittsburgh Steelers four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/aaron-rodgers-eviscerates-a…

+ 2 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Cross-references confirm Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted child sex trafficker.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child [sex trafficker]
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/dems-demand-lutnick-resign-…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child [sex trafficker]
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/inside-the-epstein-library-…

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Claim 4: “him invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a contentious Senate hearing on Capitol Hill about COVID-19.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a New York Post cross-reference and web search results, report that Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Stephen Fauci (born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Murthy v. Missouri, 603 U.S. 43 (2024), originally filed as Missouri v. Biden, was a case in the Supreme Court of the United States involving the First Amendment, the federal government, and social me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murthy_v._Missouri

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Wallace-Wells (born 1982) is an American journalist known for his writings on climate change. He wrote the 2017 essay "The Uninhabitable Earth"; the essay was published in New York as a long-for…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wallace-Wells

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Rodgers also brought up a conspiracy theory that Fauci’s wife’s sister is Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker.”

CORROBORATED

While the claim itself is a conspiracy theory, the evidence confirms that this specific claim was circulated and subsequently debunked by fact-checking organizations like Snopes.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is the chair of the Senat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renée_Fleming

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election on April 19, 2023. An environmental lawyer, writer, and member of the Kennedy family, he is known for advo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr._2024_pre…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “During Monday’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers attacked Dr. Fauci for being an “absolute criminal” and “absolute coward.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that Aaron Rodgers called Dr. Fauci an 'absolute coward' on The Pat McAfee Show.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Joe Rogan Experience is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joe_Rogan_Experience

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “obviously it was made in a lab in China”

DISPUTED

The claim that COVID-19 was made in a lab is reported as a statement by Rodgers (Nypost), but is directly contradicted by other sources, such as the deputy director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

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web search NEUTRAL — COVID-19 spread around the world rapidly and led to vast and severe global economic disruption. Many countries moved into strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus, and at one point as many …
https://www.onthisday.com/photos/covid-19

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web search NEUTRAL — China’s “bat woman” says that a new batch of tests prove that the coronavirus did not originate at her Wuhan virology lab. Shi Zhengli, the deputy director of the Wuhan Institute …
https://nypost.com/2020/11/21/chinas-bat-woman-says-covid-di…

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web search NEUTRAL — In short, Covid-19 has already created global havoc in terms of physical, psychological, economic as well as social disruptions, in a matter of a few weeks.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1862479/linking-…

+ 1 more evidence source

schedule

Claim 8: “Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy responded to his quarterback’s rant”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “Dr. Fauci even refused to answer simple questions such as the color of his tie or the day of the week.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that during a Senate hearing, Senator Josh Hawley asked Fauci about the color of his tie and the day of the week, and Fauci refused to answer.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to answer simple questions — even on trivial matters — during a Senate hearing Wednesday. Republican Kentucky Sen.Josh Hawley asked Fauci “What day of the week is it today?” …
https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/29/anthony-fauci-pleads-fift…

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web search NEUTRAL — David Schertler, Anthony Fauci’s lawyer, is escorted out of the hearing room by security after being ejected by the Republican chairman. AP Photo/Allison Robbert. “When you defended this research, you…
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/fauci-pleads-fift…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dr Anthony Fauci has declined to answer senators' questions at a contentious hearing on the origins of COVID and the US government’s handling of the pandemic. #fauci #anthonyfauci #covid #covid19 #sen…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/senator-asking-questions-not…

verified

Claim 10: “Dr. Fauci, who helped lead the U.S. government response to the COVID pandemic”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Britannica confirm Dr. Anthony Fauci's role as Director of NIAID and Chief Medical Advisor to the President during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fauci is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, and produced by Alexandra Moss. It follows the life and career of Anthony Fauci. Liz Garbus serves as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauci_(film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The federal government of the United States initially responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with various declarations of emergency, some of which led to travel and entry restrictions and t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._federal_government_respon…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “Rodgers had faced a lot of scrutiny during the pandemic for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine”

CORROBORATED

The New York Post cross-reference confirms Rodgers faced scrutiny for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aaron is an English masculine given name. The 'h' phoneme in the original Hebrew pronunciation "Aharon" (אהרן) is dropped in the Greek, Ἀαρών, from which the English form, Aaron, is derived. Aaron, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_(given_name)

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web search NEUTRAL — Part of the Law given to Moses at Sinai granted Aaron the priesthood for himself and his male descendants, and he became the first High Priest of Israel. [7] Levitical priests or kohanim are tradition…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron

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web search NEUTRAL — Aaron's has the best furniture, electronics, appliances, computers and more with affordable payments. Decorate your home with a new look.
https://www.aarons.com/

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.