Pittsburg, PA
A.J. Hawk Shares Aaron Rodgers Texts About Steelers
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers still do not have a starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
As the Steelers make their preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft, they are waiting on the decision of Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old is still debating whether or not to return for a 22nd NFL campaign, and the Steelers are caught in the middle.
Rodgers and the organization have to make progress in order to get him to return for 2026, but that isn’t stopping his former teammates from encouraging him to come back. That includes one of his Green Bay Packers teammates and member of The Pat McAfee Show, A.J. Hawk. The former Packers linebacker said on a recent episode that he’s been encouraging Rodgers, unsuccessfully, to return to Pittsburgh for one more year under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
“No joke, I’ve been sending him texts,” he said. “Telling him, ‘Hey, Aaron you gotta go back, you need to go play for Pittsburgh, you need to play for Big Mike.’ He’ll either say ‘shut up,’ or nothing.”
Steelers Keep Waiting
While the answer is not quite what the Steelers wanted to hear, they continue to wait for Rodgers to make a call. At this point, it’s clear that it’s Pittsburgh or retirement for him, but he’s taking his time deciding.
If he can replicate 2025, it’s hard to envision why he wouldn’t want to return. Even in a much less mobile version of himself, Rodgers managed to collect 3,337 passing yards, throwing for 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. With McCarthy’s focus on offensive now in charge, the idea is that life would be easier for the veteran QB in this new-look Steelers offense.
In the meantime, the Steelers have made no backup plans as they have just Will Howard and Mason Rudolph under contract for 2026. It’s Rodgers or nothing for Pittsburgh, just as it’s Pittsburgh or nothing for Rodgers.
Hawk and Rodgers’ Bond Goes Way Back
The relationship between Hawk and Rodgers goes back 20 years. The two played together for nine seasons in Green Bay from 2006 to 2014, highlighted by their Super Bowl championship in 2011.
In the decade since being teammates, the two have remainded close friends. Rodgers has been a frequent guest on The Pat McAfee Show as well since the program’s debut, giving the duo even more time to rehash the glory days.
Still, it hasn’t been enough for Hawk to persuade Rodgers’ decision making. There’s no one who can impress upon the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who marches to the beat of his own drum own his own time.
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Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Juneteenth celebration sees peaceful end after Market Square fight prompts chaperone policy
The 2026 Juneteenth celebration in downtown Pittsburgh came to an end Sunday with no additional major issues reported following the large group of juveniles fighting Friday night in Market Square.
The group of 40-50 juveniles fighting toward the end of Friday’s celebrations led to police using pepper spray and clearing the square, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.
Event organizer William “B” Marshall responded with a chaperone policy starting Saturday, requiring kids to be joined by adults in Market Square.
Pittsburgh Public Safety told KDKA-TV that they don’t know of any issues with groups of kids on Saturday evening, and Marshall called the policy—and the event—a success.
“It’s been fantastic,” Marshall said. “We’re getting a lot of parents coming down with their children. We don’t want to stop anybody from coming and enjoying some Juneteenth.”
KDKA-TV still saw groups of kids unaccompanied in the square on Sunday, but none were disruptive. Marshall said they didn’t have to remove any kids from the square, which had programming aimed at older adults.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of adults. I haven’t seen a lot of groups of kids,” said Zhane Wilds, a mother who brought her kids to the celebrations on Sunday. “Everybody’s getting along, which is great.”
A big crowd gathered in Point State Park for an evening of music, helping to wrap up another year of Juneteenth in Pittsburgh.
“It’s been a vibe down here. Everything is going very good,” Wilds said.
Other attendees said the event was nice and fun.
“The festival has been great, we’ve had great weather, people are happy, and I’m happy,” Marshall said.
It’s hard to say if the lack of fights was directly due to the police. Marshall said that overall, there weren’t too many issues.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams told KDKA-TV on Saturday that they weren’t enforcing this chaperone policy, that it was Marshall’s idea, but they would be on standby inside the square in case they needed to step in.
At the same time, Williams said they support the idea and Marshall’s efforts.
Looking ahead to next year, Marshall said they plan to kick off the celebration with an indoor performance from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
More than 150 vendors took part in the event this year.
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The Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates had a classic game end in controversy on Saturday night.
Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy started the game with an inside-the-park leadoff home run off Pirates star Paul Skenes to start the game. Colorado made out with a 2-1 win, but the Pirates thought they had tied the game in the top of the ninth inning.
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Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly argues with umpire Todd Tichenor after a force out ended the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies in Denver on June 20, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Pirates batter Jake Mangum hit a grounder to Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros. The infielder charged the ball and met baserunner Billy Cook simultaneously. The umpires called everyone safe on the field, which would have led to a tie game. Karros was in disbelief as he signaled to his manager to challenge the call.
After the umpires met, Cook was called out for baserunner interference. Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was irate.
“The runner failed to avoid the defender in the act of fielding the baseball; therefore, he’s called out. It’s very simple,” crew chief Todd Tichenor told a pool reporter after the game, via MLB.com.
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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on June 20, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Karros said Cook’s cleat “kind of clipped my glove” during the play.
Kelly said he agreed that Cook hit Karros’ glove when he was running to third base. However, he didn’t understand why the umpires had to huddle to get the call correct.
Cook added that he didn’t think he made contact until he saw the replay.
“Just unfortunate how that played out,” he continued.
Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz hit a home run in the first inning – it accounted for Pittsburgh’s only run in the loss.
T.J. Rumfield had the other RBI for Colorado. He scored McCarthy.
Colorado Rockies’ Jake McCarthy returns to the dugout after hitting an inside-the-park home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on June 20, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
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Colorado improved to 30-47 on the year. Pittsburgh fell to 38-39.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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