No apology from Aaron Rodgers after threat of lawsuit from Jimmy Kimmel

NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers mentions Jeffrey Epstein's list of associates and how late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel is “one of the people who really wishes that list was never made public.” did not apologize for comments made last week that suggested

“I understand how serious the pedophilia allegations are, so I don't think he would be upset about them,” Rodgers said Tuesday in his weekly appearance on pundit Pat McAfee's ESPN talk show. I can understand it,” he said. “I'm not that stupid. Even if you think I'm stupid and make a lot of comments about my intelligence, I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of it without any proof or concrete evidence.” It’s not. That’s ridiculous.”

Mr. Rogers said he was “good” that Mr. Kimmel's name was not included in a deposition in a case involving Mr. Epstein that was unsealed by a judge last week, referring to a war of words with Mr. Kimmel. “I want to end this matter now,'' he added.

Kimmel and Rodgers have been at loggerheads in recent days ever since the late night host threatened to sue Kimmel for mentioning the star quarterback's name during a conversation about Epstein's crimes on McAfee's show.

The episode sparked widespread backlash, and McAfee was forced to apologize for giving Rodgers a platform to spread baseless theories about Kimmel.

“Obviously, people get very angry, especially when it comes to serious allegations. So we apologize for playing into that,” McAfee said. “I can't wait to hear what Aaron has to say about it. I hope those two can work this out. Not court-friendly, but we can chat and move on.”

ESPN executives are also reportedly frustrated by interactions between the NFL signal caller and one of the leading talents at sister company ABC.

“Pat announced today that Aaron will be joining the show on Tuesday. Aaron made a stupid and factually inaccurate joke about Jimmy Kimmel,” said the network's senior vice president, who oversees McAfee's programming. President Mike Foss said: Said The Athletic late last week.

Mr. Rogers responded directly to Mr. Foss on Tuesday, saying he was “not helping.”

“This is the media strategy. This is what they do: try to cancel it,” Rogers said. “If you look at the various people who are getting censored from the internet, especially during the coronavirus pandemic…they're using these words to cancel people, and they're using this to get away with calling someone a pedophile. That's because they're crazy anti-vaxxers who are accusing them of being, which is incorrect, of course, but that's the environment we're in.”