Aaron Rodgers has been nothing but kind to his Steelers teammates, and has remained far, far away from the media's watchful eye outside of postgame and midweek obligations. That includes the Pat McAfee Show, as Rodgers' weekly appearance is all but dead.
We all knew weekly soundbites from Rodgers wouldn't mix well with the typically-muffled noise coming out of Pittsburgh's locker room. Mike Tomlin prefers it that way, and the Steelers have a couple of sensitive issues Rodgers really ought to stay away from until 2026, including DK Metcalf's suspension.
What Aaron Rodgers said about DK Metcalf's suspension
DK Metcalf was suspended following last Sunday's win over the Lions. Metcalf received a two-game ban for shoving a fan in the front row with a closed fist. The shortened version of this he said-he said story is that Metcalf's associates claimed the fan used a slur, while the fan denies this allegation. Rodgers, who was on the field for that play and received an up-front-and-personal view of the incident, had this to say in defense of his teammate.
“I think there’s a mindset that you pay for a ticket, you can say whatever the hell you want,” Rodgers said. “I think there should be some sort of code of conduct. Obviously that was intentional, and I think there was some celebration afterward on his part. Obviously don’t condone what DK did, but I understand. There’s been a lot of crazy comments said my way over the years. The truth is that would never happen face to face. There’s two sides to every story. I support DK, I’ll continue to support DK.”
“A lot of that stuff is really good for the sport. Now, at the same time, as you’re seeing parts of society erode, maybe the conduct has changed over the years,” Rodgers said.
I'll put it this way – everything Rodgers and the Steelers figureheads say can and possibly will be used against Metcalf in a court of law.
Could DK Metcalf face a lawsuit for his actions?
What's next in this story is anyone's guess, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Lions fan who was shoved, Ryan Kennedy, tried to file suit against Metcalf in a civil court. Kennedy has continued to deny any allegations of wrongdoing, and the NFL held up Metcalf's suspension. The league has more evidence than any of us (including Metcalf) and saw no reason to shorten his ban based on anything Kennedy said or did in the moment.
That's not a good sign. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that legal action could be taken by Kennedy, who is set to hold a press conference to defend his name in the coming days.
“The press conference is the latest indication that a lawsuit is coming, against Metcalf and others,” Florio wrote. “One claim will likely be based on the clear assault/battery that Metcalf committed. Even if Kennedy suffered little or no physical harm, the law makes it obvious that Metcalf contacted Kennedy in an offensive manner.”
A lawsuit against Metcalf would be a national storyline the NFL cannot stop in its tracks. Metcalf, who assaulted Kennedy on camera, will have an uphill climb to clear his name. Everything Rodgers, Tomlin and NFL media are saying in favor of Metcalf actually puts him in jeopardy of a second libel lawsuit, should it be proven he was the one spreading (supposedly) false rumors.