Steelers Mike McCarthy regrets profane exchange

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was upset.

His coach, Mike McCarthy, was aggravated.

Both males used NSFW language toward each other that was picked up by Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” cameras and/or microphones.

The exchange came about during the Steelers’ first drive in their eventual 27-24 highway loss to the Cleveland Browns. Before a first-down play from the Cleveland 20-yard line, Rodgers may very well be seen staring at the Pittsburgh sideline with his arms unfold out, apparently ready to obtain the play from McCarthy.

Then the four-time league MVP exploded.

“What the f—?” Rodgers screamed toward the sideline. “Call it!”

The broadcast then cut to a shot of McCarthy, who may very well be seen saying the phrases, “f— a—hole,” in obvious reference to his quarterback.

Asked about that second during his postgame news convention, McCarthy expressed remorse for the language he used.

“I think what’s said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field,” McCarthy said. “That’s not the case today, I understand that. But any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn’t use those words.”

Later in the same drive, Rodgers appeared to shake his head and roll his eyes while ready for a play to be called. Speaking to reporters after the sport, he indicated that the group noise affected the communication between the sideline and area.

“It was loud,” Rodgers said, “so some of the calls, it was hard to hear, for sure.”

The “TNF” cameras did catch a a lot more nice interplay between the 2 males, after the 42-year-old veteran saved the ball on a one-yard sneak for a profitable two-point conversion to tie the rating at 24-24 late in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy coached the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and Rodgers was his beginning quarterback for 11 of those seasons. During that stretch, they led the crew to one Super Bowl victory (against the Steelers) and 4 NFC championship sport appearances. Rodgers also earned two of his 4 NFL MVP awards during McCarthy’s tenure.

There was some well-documented pressure between the 2 males during that time as effectively. But Rodgers has cited the Steelers’ hiring of McCarthy this offseason as a motive he determined to put off retirement for one more yr.

“I’d gone into the offseason thinking it was probably going to be it, and I’d be totally fine with it — I feel good about my career,” Rodgers told the Athletic in August. “But once he got hired, then my mindset changed a little bit.”

He added: “Absence makes the heart grow much fonder, in this case.”

McCarthy said in the same article: “Just to be able to take this final lap with him, it’s awesome. You always want to do a great job, but now to do it with him in his last chapter, it’s special.”