Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers criticised ESPN during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" for failing to cover a scandal involving Dianna Russini, a former ESPN reporter now working as an NFL insider for The Athletic, and NFL coach Mike Vrabel. Rodgers questioned the network's editorial choices, asking "what are we doing here?", suggesting ESPN was avoiding a story involving one of its former employees despite it generating wider attention.

Russini had been alleged to have had an inappropriate relationship, a claim that emerged during the offseason and has drawn scrutiny from other sports commentators, including debate over whether criticism of ESPN's coverage carries racial undertones. Rodgers made the remarks during a broader on-air segment on the show, which airs on ESPN, adding to tension between the quarterback and the network.