Aaron Rodgers is tricked by a fake stat in awkward moment on Pat McAfee's ESPN show
New York Jets quarterback and long-time media critic Aaron Rodgers is apparently guilty of one of his biggest pet peeves: spreading misinformation.
Speaking with ESPN's Pat McAfee on Tuesday, the 40-year-old Rodgers discussed Lions quarterback and fellow Cal alum Jared Goff, who somehow led Detroit to a victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday despite tossing a whopping five interceptions.
'The amazing stat, though, is this a true stat, that he's done four or more picks seven times and won every single one of those games?' asked Rodgers, who often boasts of doing his own research on a variety of topics.
Rodgers, McAfee and co-host Boston Connor then all decided the stat was, indeed, true.
'Yes,' said McAfee.
Pat McAfee and Aaron Rodgers both agreed that Jared Goff is 7-0 when throwing four picks
'Yep, 7 and 0,' Connor added.
Rodgers agreed: 'That's wild.'
It's so wild, it turns out, that it's completely untrue.
Goff has only tossed four or more interceptions in a game twice, and including Sunday's win, the Lions star is 1-1 in those games.
So how did Rodgers, McAfee and Boston Connor become so convinced Goff is 7-0 when tossing four interceptions in a single game? Was it an inside job? A government psyop? The woke media?
Actually it was Kenneth Cox, a gamer who has cultivated a social media following by teaching others to play Madden, an NFL-inspired video game.
'If you've ever wondered how easy it is to spread fake information,' Cox, who goes by 'Civ' on social media, wrote on X. 'I made this stat up while laying in bed at halftime of the game.'
Kenneth Cox, a gamer with a large social media following, admittedly made up the stat
Lions QB Jared Goff tossed five interceptions in Sunday's win over the Houston Texans
To his credit, McAfee acknowledged his mistake in response to Cox's post on X, writing: 'Oh no.'
A COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who spent much of the pandemic boasting about 'doing his own research,' Rodgers took the brunt of the online criticism.
'But I'm sure Aaron did 'his own research' just like he does on every other issue,' one critic wrote online.
'Don't worry Pat,' another added. 'I'm sure Aaron did his own research on it.'
One fan pointed out the paradox of believing Rodgers: 'This is what you get for trusting the 'do your own research' guy without doing your own research.'
Rodgers, who has repeatedly accused reporters of spreading misinformation, will be back in action on Sunday as the 2-8 Jets take on the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
