Mike McCarthy took responsibility for his heated exchange with Aaron Rodgers after the Steelers fell 27-24 to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.

The moment happened during Pittsburgh’s opening drive. Rodgers was waiting for the next play call before turning toward the sideline and yelling, “What the f—? Call it!” The broadcast then caught McCarthy appearing to respond with profanity.

“Any negative communication on my part, I wish I wouldn't use those words,” McCarthy said on October 2.

The Steelers coach also stated the pace of the opening drive also played a role in the exchange.

“First drive was hectic,” McCarthy said on October 2, according to NFL Network. “I was talking faster than normal.”

The moment drew extra attention because McCarthy and Rodgers have a long history together. McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay, with the two winning a Super Bowl after the 2010 season.

“Communication sometimes is not the best choice of words, but everybody's competing on the field,” McCarthy added. “What's said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field. That's not the case today. I understand that.”

McCarthy is in his first season as Pittsburgh’s head coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down. Rodgers had also handed McCarthy the game ball following their Week 1 win over Atlanta.

While McCarthy took responsibility for his words, Rodgers offered more context on what led to the moment.

Did one issue spark Aaron Rodgers’ heated Steelers sideline moment?

Aaron Rodgers gave a simple reason for the heated moment on the Steelers’ sideline Thursday night: the crowd made it difficult to hear the calls.

“It was loud,” Rodgers said of the crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium, according to Big Lead. “So some of the calls, it was hard to hear, for sure.”

The moment came late in Pittsburgh’s opening possession, which lasted 17 plays and took 9:48 off the clock. It was the Steelers’ longest drive of the season and ended with a touchdown, giving Pittsburgh an early 7-0 lead.

The broadcast also caught Rodgers in a tense exchange with his receivers during the possession.

Play-calling has already been a topic for Rodgers this season. Following Pittsburgh’s Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots, he said he needed to let the coaching staff know what was working “so we can call stuff that we feel like has a better chance.”

That conversation came up again Thursday as Rodgers and the Steelers worked through a noisy start. Despite the sideline frustration, Pittsburgh finished the lengthy opening drive with points on the board.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit