Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Entertainment
Jimmy Traina

Stugotz Spent 20 Minutes Thinking He Was Talking to Aaron Rodgers. He Wasn’t.

Stugotz Aaron Rodgers Jake Owen Dick Vitale Patrick Mahomes ESPN Maxx Crosby NBA NFL SI Media With Jimmy Traina

1. Over the years, there have been a few incidents of sports hosts interviewing someone who wasn’t who they thought they were interviewing. 

For example, this reporter thought he was talking to Patrick Mahomes when he was actually speaking with Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero.

However, Stugotz, from The Dan Le Batard Show, took things to a whole new level earlier this week when he thought he had a 20-minute conversation with Aaron Rodgers at a golf event in Lake Tahoe.

Unbeknownst to Stugotz, though, he spent 20 minutes chatting with country music singer Jake Owen.

Full disclosure: I’ve never heard of Jake Owen and wouldn’t have known what he looked like before I had to pull a photo for this story, so I don’t want to mock Stugotz too much.

But I can say that Stugotz’s story recalling his gaffe is hilarious.

Stugotz is a huge Jets fan and continuously refers to Rodgers as “my quarterback,” yet he had no clue that Rodgers was not the man he was in deep conversation with.

“Listen, I will never have the relationship with Aaron Rodgers that I have with the guy that I thought was Aaron Rodgers,” Stugotz told his cohosts, Mike Ryan and Jeremy Taché.

“I’ve been thinking about this and I’ve been going through the details of the conversations. The many different ways I must have creeped out Jake Owen, it’s kept me up most of the night. I’m a little tired. 

"I was hugging him. I was patting him on the stomach. You’re my quarterback. You’re my quarterback. And Jake Owen, going, ‘I am, I am.’

“I am embarrassed. I told you, I stayed up most of the night. I kept going through parts of the conversation and I’m like, How did Jake just stay with it and not laugh at me?”

Hopefully, this saga ends with the real Aaron Rodgers doing an interview with Stugotz.

2. A brand-new SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped Thursday morning, and this week’s episode features a conversation with New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand. Topics covered include:

• Did the NBA play a role in ESPN’s axing Jeff Van Gundy? 

• What will ESPN do for its top NBA booth? 

• How is Derek Jeter doing on TV? 

• What’s going on with ESPN Radio? 

• Tom Brady–Fox update 

• Threads

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

3. Fox drew 7,091,000 viewers for Tuesday’s MLB All-Start Game. It is the lowest-rated MLB All-Star Game of all time. However, for anything on network TV in this day and age to generate 7 million viewers is a win.

4. I’ve watched three episodes so far of Netflix’s Quarterback, and it's outstanding. The best part of the show is getting an inside look at the NFL's best player, Patrick Mahomes. This clip of the quarterback going toe-to-toe with Raiders defensive lineman Maxx Crosby is so good.

5. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels showed up to Big 12 media day Wednesday wearing a necklace that featured a screen playing his highlights, and I have a feeling he’s about to start a trend because that’s some solid marketing.

6. Dick Vitale shared an unfortunate update Wednesday on his latest health battle. Vitale has been through hell the past few years, yet maintains an upbeat and positive attitude and is an inspiration for how he’s handled things. Let’s hope he gets through this latest battle in speedy fashion.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Not only is this clip very amusing, but it’s also narrated by the great Charlie Jones, who called NFL action for NBC back in the 1970s and ’80s.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Lizzo gratified by South Park name check
In the "End of Obesity" special, South Park residents want the latest semaglutides, but there's a cheaper option
Salon
Salon
Lizzo reacts to new South Park joke about her in Ozempic special
‘I’m really that b*tch,’ the singer said
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Cyberflashing is a form of gendered sexual violence that must be taken seriously
Sexting — sending sexually suggestive or explicit messages and images — is now a widespread practice, and can be a healthy way to express and explore sexuality. However, there is a need to distinguish between consensual sexting and forms of sexual harassment like cyberflashing.
The Conversation
The Conversation
‘Shame and betrayal’: sexual abuse within the spiritual healing industry comes to light
Scandalous behavior that has dogged the Catholic church is becoming increasingly common in shamanic healing circles
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
From Baby Reindeer to Taylor Swift, how amateur sleuths ruined pop culture
In the social media age, artists are using their trauma to bolster their relatability, while dramas are often thinly veiled personal testimonies. The unvarnished truth may be irresistible, but is it bringing out the rubberneck in all of us?
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Is Snoop Dogg’s memorabilia auction a model for cash-hungry music stars?
The Dogfather has monetized his celebrity with an auction at a time when artists struggle to make the money they once did
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play