This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Gooooood morning, family! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate you reading!
I’m sure you saw the uneasiness that came across the internet from Aaron Rodgers’ latest guest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. It’s been all over the internet at this point.
Rodgers’ appearances on the McAfee Show are normally cringeworthy enough without the Jets’ star quarterback basically saying one of ABC and Disney’s biggest stars could be on the Epstein list that will reportedly be released. But, uh, that’s exactly what happened after McAfee’s co-host, AJ Hawk, brought up the list to Rodgers on Tuesday.
For those of you who don’t know, it’s a list of over 200 names of the business associates Jeffrey Epstein worked with. Epstein was an alleged sex trafficker who hanged himself while imprisoned back in 2019. This list supposedly contains the names of some of the biggest luminaries, celebrities and politicians we know.
To be clear, being on that list doesn’t mean that the individual is guilty of sex trafficking or participating in any of the crimes Epstein allegedly took part in. But it could mean that. That’s why this list is a big deal.
That’s what Rodgers — seemingly baselessly — directly accused ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel of. The Jets’ QB said “A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” during his appearance on Tuesday.
That triggered a swift — and strong — response from Kimmel, himself, who actually threatened to sue the quarterback if he keeps this up (WARNING: NSFW language ahead).
Dear Aasshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any “list” other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless… https://t.co/p8eug12uiS
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) January 2, 2024
And there’s the problem. This moment is exactly why this might be the last we see of Aaron Rodgers on the Pat McAfee show.
It’s one thing for Rodgers to hop on the show and make baseless claims about COVID-19 vaccines or curse like he’s a 13-year-old who just discovered swear words or straight-up lie to our faces about his injury recovery. But it’s another thing to mess with Mickey Mouse’s bottom line.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is one of Disney’s premier programs on ABC, which is one of the company’s flagship networks. The Pat McAfee Show is an ESPN property, which is also owned by Disney. So, through that connection, these are two programs on sister networks working under the same umbrella.
For Rodgers to create a situation that Disney CEO Bob Iger may have to step in on to mediate and mend fences is not a good look, plain and simple. It’s getting in the way of business. And, if it gets in the way, it may be moved out of the way. Again, the Mouse doesn’t play when it comes to money.
If it is? Then: good riddance. Aaron Rodgers has been nothing but a public nuisance. He comes on the show every week, puts on his best tinfoil hat and just throws baseless claims everywhere under the guise of doing his own research.
In reality, this is just a dude who loves to hear himself talk. He can’t get enough of his own celebrity. He’s totally wrapped up in it — consumed by it. His hubris is constantly in control. That’s even the case in this situation here, which essentially stems from Kimmel making fun of Aaron Rodgers a year ago for, well, doing exactly what he did on Tuesday.
We’ll see how this ultimately turns out. There’s been no official response from Disney on all of this as of yet. It’s hard to feel bad for the company considering that this is what the Pat McAfee Show has always been. Working with McAfee and giving him the longest leash by far at the company means dealing with problems like this one. ESPN and Disney earned this chaos — it’s well deserved.
Pat McAfee isn’t going anywhere. The company pays him way too much for him to just be dismissed. He’s interwoven in its programming and will be for years to come.
You can be sure of one thing, though. The company is monitoring this. There’s a solid chance that this is the last time Rodgers will be putting his foot in his mouth — at least on ESPN’s airwaves, anyway.
A 141-point win is WILD
When I woke up this morning and saw the box score from Grambling State’s women’s basketball team at home against The College of Biblical Studies, I thought I was looking at a typo.
But nope. The final score was 159-18. That’s really a thing that happened. One team made 70 shots. The other team made 8. Two of Grambling’s players scored at least 20 points, which means they outscored CBS by themselves.
The funniest part of this is Grambling simply tweeting the win as a “new school record for points earned in a single game.” What a tweet.
A new school record has been set for points earned in a single game 👏🏽#Gramfam|#ThisIsTheG🐯🏀|#ChampionshipTalk💍 pic.twitter.com/YQqAUWwgQl
— Grambling State University Women's Basketball (@GSU_WBK) January 2, 2024
Shoutout to Grambling State, man. Never change.
SEE IT HERE: Watch the full game on YouTube 👀
Does…does the NFL kind of stink this year?
Tom Brady may have been right all along. In Christian D’Andrea’s latest NFL power rankings, he makes the point that both the 49ers and Ravens seem like legitimate title contenders.
Everyone else? They’re kind of just…middling. Literally. Here’s Christian with more.
That makes this week’s power rankings a tricky enterprise. The AFC and NFC have each crowned their regular season winners. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have each locked up home field advantage through the playoffs. After that? Well, it’s tough to have confidence in teams like the Eagles (spiraling to their doom), Kansas City Chiefs (host to a suddenly pedestrian offense), Dallas Cowboys (can’t win big games on the road) or Miami Dolphins (can’t win big games unless they’re against the Cowboys).
That leaves a ranking system with a lush second tier of untrustable teams. Here’s how they shook out after 2023’s penultimate week.
The NFL’s playoffs are a different beast. All anyone has to do is simply win one game and they advance, so anything can happen. But, man. The 49ers and the Ravens just seem unbeatable right now. Or, maybe more accurately, everyone else just seems extremely beatable. At least by good team standards, anyway.
READ MORE: Check out the full power rankings here.
Quick hits: Caitlin Clark beats the buzzer … Six coaches who might not be fired on Black Monday … and more
— Caitlin Clark’s stepback buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the win over Michigan State is one of the most impressive shots you’ll see this year. Cory Woodruff has more.
— Here’s Cory again with six coaches who might not actually be fired on Black Monday in the NFL.
— Jim Harbaugh’s parent’s reaction to the Rose Bowl win is so adorable. Also, Jack Harbaugh’s genes are STRONG. Cory and Michelle Martinelli have more here.
— Sidney Crosby’s reaction to Kyler Murray wearing his jersey before beating the Eagles is the best.
— OG Anunoby already looks like a perfect fit with the Knicks. Bryan Kalbrosky has more.
— Was that Connor Stalions at the Rose Bowl? Charles Curtis takes a look.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you. Have a fantastic Wednesday. Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then, peace.
-Sykes ✌️