Aaron Rodgers faced increased criticism on Wednesday following the announcement that he would no longer be appearing on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
In recent weeks, Rodgers has been under fire for making baseless comments suggesting Kimmel had ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
During an interview on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, host Gayle King asked Barkley how he would react if Rodgers made similar insinuations about him.
“I’d have punched him in the face,” Barkley responded.
Barkley reaffirmed his stance when King asked if he was being metaphorical.
“I don’t even know what those words mean. Hell yeah, I’d punch him in the face,” Barkley said.
Kimmel played a clip of Barkley’s remarks on his ABC late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday and said Barkley should lead the country.
“Thank you, Sir Charles, for your rhetorical, metaphorical, and oratorical support. I appreciate it,” Kimmel quipped.
Meanwhile, on ESPN’s “Unsportsmanlike” program on Wednesday morning, Graziano labeled Rodgers a “con artist.”
Graziano accused Rodgers of “living down to his reputation as an attention-hungry, self-absorbed individual,” adding: “He’s obviously a liar and a narcissistic con artist who is bad for everything he touches, and I think ultimately the Jets will pay the price.”
“I don’t think you’re going to hear anything bad from the Jets about Aaron Rodgers, no matter what lunatic insanity he spews on anyone’s airwaves,” Graziano added.
Representatives for Rodgers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Following the fallout of Rodgers’ feud with Kimmel, NFL-punter-turned-broadcaster Pat McAfee announced on Wednesday’s “Pat McAfee Show” that Rodgers wouldn’t appear on the show for the remainder of the NFL season.
“There are going to be a lot of people that will be happy with that, myself included, to be honest,” McAfee said.