In the first quarter of Thursday night’s game between the Steelers and Browns, Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers became upset. Since he often gets angry during games, that doesn’t help matters. He was particularly disturbed because the play was coming too slowly. And a microphone picked up his words. “What the fuck?” Rodgers said angrily on the side. “Call him.” Prime Video cameras then cut to coach Mike McCarthy, who appeared to say, “You fucking moron.” After the game, McCarthy initially feigned confusion when asked about communication issues. As the questioning got more specific, he said Steelers public relations director Burt Lauten had told McCarthy about the exchange that made it onto television. “Communication is sometimes not the best choice of words, but everyone competes on the field,” McCarthy said. “I think, you know, what’s said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, you know, usually stays on the field. That’s not the case today. I understand that. But, yeah, any negative communication from me, I wish I didn’t use those words.” For Rodgers’ part, he was not asked about the specific trade. Either way, the Steelers fell to 2-2. They currently occupy last place in the AFC North and are the only team with two losses. If the Bengals and Ravens win on Sunday, the Steelers will be alone in the division cellar.
