Steelers Now At Risk Of Being Investigated And Reprimanded By The NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a polarizing figure. He isn't always just found in the headlines throughout sports media, as all different kinds of news outlets occasionally cover the things that he says. The signal-caller had some strong words on a recent appearance during the Pat McAfee Show, which prompted the organization to release a statement about all players being entitled to their respective opinions. In what is expected to be the four-time MVP's final professional season, he has been more open to communicating with reporters during training camp.

The future Hall of Famer spoke with The Athletic's Michael Silver recently, and went into detail about how ill he was prior to the Steelers' Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans back in January. There was even a firsthand account from Arthur Smith describing just how poor Rodgers looked leading up to the contest. Now, questions are being asked about the situation as a whole.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk is often found looking into every little thing Rodgers does and says. He has written extensively about everything that has come up in the news cycle regarding the passer in Pittsburgh. He raised several questions on Tuesday about the Steelers knowing about this illness that Rodgers had, but refusing to place him on the injury report.

"In a week that has caused plenty of commotion regarding things Rodgers said publicly, what he (and, more specifically, the Steelers) failed to say before the playoff loss could cause a bit of a ruckus, as far as the league office is concerned," Florio wrote.

Florio even reached out to the NFL to comment on what he was reporting on. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and/or anyone with knowledge of the situation didn't care to respond, but that doesn't mean it is going unnoticed.

"The league has no choice but to investigate. If the reporting is true (and it is, we’ve confirmed), the league will have no choice but to act," Florio noted. "Any other approach amounts to the league looking the other way on the Steelers concealing an important piece of inside information."

The Steelers did not play well in the game. A 30-6 loss wasn't very pretty, and it's hard to argue that a fully healthy Rodgers would have made a difference. Still, the quarterback only completed 17 of 33 passes and threw for 146 yards and one interception. That's not something that was expected, even if the Texans had the league's most dominant defense.

Now, the Steelers might be facing some kind of investigation. No one would have even known that Rodgers was sick on that January day if he hadn't opened up to Silver about not feeling well. Florio brought up how the league is essentially in bed with its gambling partners, meaning there has to be some sort of repercussion coming for Pittsburgh.

"Given the various ways in which inside information has allegedly or actually been misused in multiple sports (the NFL recently suspended a Cardinals executive for allegedly sharing information about the team’s draft picks), inaction is not acceptable," Florio wrote. "If the league is going to profit from gambling, either directly through sponsorships or indirectly by owners owning up to five percent of companies that operate sportsbooks, the NFL cannot ignore clear instances of teams having inside information about a player’s health and failing to reveal it."

Art Rooney II could have a little fine coming across his desk sooner rather than later. There is precedent for this sort of thing, and Florio gave the details of what the Steelers can expect.

"In 2023, the NFL fined the Falcons $75,000 and then-coach Arthur Smith $25,000 for failing to disclose that running back Bijan Robinson had an illness on the morning of a game against the Buccaneers," Florio wrote.

It's a bit ironic that Smith was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator in 2025. Despite this, he was completely willing to speak to Silver about how awful Rodgers looked prior to taking on Houston.

Steelers Can Likely Expect A Sizable Fine From The NFL

Now that the news is out there and someone like Florio is asking questions, Rooney might not be able to hide his wallet from the league at this point in time. Rodgers admitted he was sick and there is no record of that on any injury report out there. This alone is something that is frowned upon. Time will tell, but Goodell might want to put this to bed quickly and punish the Steelers accordingly.

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