Like most college football fans, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t a fan of the penalty which negated a game winning punt return touchdown from Iowa’s Cooper DeJean against Minnesota over the weekend.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers admonished the officials who ruled that the play was dead because DeJean made an illegal fair catch signal. He said he felt terrible for DeJean and for Iowa fans having to suffer through that loss.
“That was the most ridiculous call that I saw all last week,” Rodgers said. “This is so ridiculous. Nothing about this says fair catch. Absolutely nothing about this. The ball is on the ground. He’s pointing at it for his gunners to get out of the way.
“Then, they’re gonna go back and wave this thing off? Absolutely ridiculous call. Classic of them to double down and say, ‘Yep, totally a fair catch.’ Nothing about that had fair catch energy. Absolutely nothing. I feel terrible for the kid, gutted for him. For Iowa fans, that’s awful.”
As you might expect, Iowa fans absolutely loved him for that take:
“That fair catch call in Iowa was the most ridiculous call I’ve seen in quite some time..
Nothing about this says fair catch and I feel terrible for Iowa fans” ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/zTPrUPQGk7
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 24, 2023
“Aaron Rodgers is now the most beloved man in the state of Iowa,” one user declared.
“I’ve always said Aaron Rodgers is one of the brightest minds in all of football,” another Iowa fan wrote.
“Never cared for Rodgers until this interview happened. Go Hawks,” wrote a third.
If Aaron Rodgers goes to Kinnick Stadium for their next game, he may get a hero’s welcome.