PoliticsAaron Rodgers Rips 'Criminal' Dr. Anthony Fauci After COVID-19 Senate Hearings: 'He's an Absolute Coward'
The anti-vaxxer shared his thoughts on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Aug. 3 2026, Published 6:23 p.m. ET
Aaron Rodgers slammed Dr. Anthony Fauci after the immunologist testified in front of the Senate on July 29 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NFL star, 42, appeared on the Monday, August 3, episode of ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, where he called out the physician, 85.
Aaron Rodgers took a swipe at Anthony Fauci following his Senate hearings about the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m going to plead the fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci,” Rodgers scoffed. “Absolute coward. Yeah. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon, and you pleaded over 100 times at the White House?”
Anthony Fauci Received a Pardon From Joe Biden
Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 in 2021.
Fauci received a pardon from ex-president Joe Biden on January 20, 2025. The doctor was a key player in America's response to the public health crisis and encouraged the public to wear masks and to social distance.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback infamously refused to abide by the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol during the pandemic. He also caused major controversy in November 2021 when he tested positive for COVID-19 and confessed he was unvaccinated.
'What Are You Scared of, Tony?'
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The football player called Anthony Fauci a 'coward.'
Rodgers continued to slam Fauci, saying: “What are you scared of, Tony? I thought you were the science. I thought you were, ‘I am science,’ and you get up there and you can’t answer a question?”
The athlete then ripped into TV networks who spent ample time covering his own contentious statements about the 2020 Coronavirus.
Aaron Rodgers claimed COVID-19 was made in a lab.
“How much time did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week, on my vaccination status? On Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce’s] wedding? Did they do even a minute?” Rodgers sneered. “Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? Nah, I bet they didn’t.”
"What are they going to say about me now? Now you can’t talk about the COVID stuff because obviously it was made, you know, in a lab in China. That’s not even questionable anymore. Tony Fauci is an absolute criminal," Rodgers alleged.
Anthony Fauci Invoked the Fifth Amendment During His Senate Hearing Over 100 Times
Anthony Fauci testified in front of the Senate on July 29.
While there's a conspiracy theory claiming the virus was created in a Wuhan lab in China, that hypothesis has never been proven.
During his hearing, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times and refused to answer senators’ questions about the government's handling of the pandemic.
Fauci noted during the legislative inquiry he wanted to avoid the possibility that Republicans would use his statements to prosecute him for perjury.
