Aaron Rodgers Responds To The Slander
So what did ya’ll think of the Bleacher Report article about the Green Bay drama? I found it quite the fun read. It was kind of nice to get some drama that wasn’t Antonio Brown related.
There seem to be two general camps, as always. Camp 1, the article is basically accurate and all this shit happened and it is hilarious. Camp 2, this article is cherry picked small incidents and is mostly garbage journalism. PICK YOUR FIGHTER. Like most things, I assume the truth is in the middle, where nobody wants to hang out. Nobody loves moderates. Moderates are cowards.
I’m under the impression at this point where there is smoke there is fire (ALL TRADE RUMORS ARE TRUE DONT BE ME BEFORE OBJ FELLAS), but I do think the article glosses over the positives from the era because frankly that wasn’t the point of the article. The article’s point is to examine what went wrong, how it went wrong, and why it went wrong. So obviously it’s not going to talk about the times when McCarthy and Rodgers got along. The purpose of the piece is to try and see why they stopped. So people dismissing the article as extremely negative and ignoring all the good times are kind of missing the thesis here.
I do think that it does paint a picture of a more hostile work environment than existed. In many ways it sounded like it felt like living hell between these two dudes for over a decade. I doubt that was true. I wager Rodgers and McCarthy had their issues for sure but here’s the thing: winning cures that shit. It’s very easy to get past someone’s garbage when you two are working together and winning a lot. The Packers won a lot. Like 8 straight years in the playoffs a lot. The Packers got irritating. But when things start to crumble around them (like talent leaving, or stale development, etc), the wins begin to come less frequently and the little issues between egos crop back up and drive a wedge. I think that a lot of the negativity and hostility probably was rather prevalent in the Packers locker room, but only recently. I think it likely wasn’t a big deal at all back in the early aught-teens. Aught teens? Twenty-tens? What do we call this decade anyway?
I do believe the pictures painted of Rodger’s negatives as well as McCarthy’s issues are mostly accurate. A story like “Mike slipping away to get massages” is the kind of thing too specific to not be true in some way. Rodgers being petty and vindictive, egotistical and controlling? We’ve seen complaints of that from other people and Rodgers is so secretive about his private life we don’t really have much to go on as counter-examples. Rodgers came out pretty fast and offered an extremely strong denial and pushed back against the article and the bitter players who trashed him in it. I think his criticism of Jennings and Finley is fair. But his strong THIS IS BULLSHIT stance clapback to the article smearing the reporter for trying to advance his career felt…weirdly familiar to me. A distinct image popped up into my head. This one.
If you are a wee baby who doesn’t know that image let the child Orioles fan Dave tell you a story. Raphael Palmeiro is that man, and in that photo he is staunchly denying the allegations of steroid use. Out of all the players who were called to testify, only Palmeiro came across so fiercely opposed to the accusation. He said no with such conviction that, at the time, we all bought it. This later turned out to be a big fat lie, and his staunch denial ended up doing more damage to his career in the end. It was pretty heartbreaking as a kid who loved Palmeiro. I wanted his mustache when I grew up. Raphael, if you are out there somewhere, I still think you are cool.
My point is, Rodger’s steadfast denial reminded me of that. Rodgers, and McCarthy for that matter, currently have zero incentive to agree with that article in any way. It is entirely within their best interest to call it crap. They gain nothing admitting they are petty or lazy. There’s also very little chance anyone could ever prove otherwise. The article does paint a very negative image while trying to understand what helped cause the downfall of the relationship and maybe it is wrong to use this as gospel on either man, because there were undoubtedly good times and quality cooperation towards a common goal.
AGREE OR DISAGREE? ARE YOU A MCCARTHY OR A RODGERS?
Anything that makes Aaron Rodgers and the Packers look bad must be completely true. That’s my headcanon.
The whole melodrama with Rodgers and his family says a lot to me. Do I think McCarthy is a great coach; not by a long shot. However, Rodgers could be the worst kind of player, a quarterback diva
It honestly makes me laugh that people who accept without question that Aaron Rodgers completely cut his family out of his life think the suggestion that he cuts players out of the gameplan for not listening to him is INVENTED MEDIA GARBAGE DRAMA
NFCN fans are just upset at the idea of cutting toxicity out of their life because if their family did they same they’d be all alone 🙁
I think the truth is probably in the middle somewhere as well, but I also think Rodgers has maybe two or three more years in Green Bay before he pulls a Favre and ends his career with the Bears.
moderates are implicitly supportive of the status quo but lack the conviction to admit it
im on team “burn down the nfl and chuck goodell off a fucking cliff”
Moderates think some change is necessary but don’t agree with the methods nor the extremes that the far side of the change-peddlers want.
Shitting on moderates tends to be the downfall.
I don’t think what Rodgers said about Finley and Jennings is fair. They’re bitter, yes, but let’s parse through his quote. “The thing is about this article it’s not a mystery, this was smear attack by a writer looking to advance his career, talking with mostly irrelevant, bitter players who all have an agenda, rather they’re advancing their own careers or just trying to stir old stuff up…
“It bothers me that every time there’s an article it’s the same two people,” Rodgers said. “And if there’s not an article about me, do you ever hear their name anywhere else? Do they get interviews with people? Are they out there making comments? Are they making the rounds on the shows?
“I would say probably not. … I would say at what point do you move on? You talk about me being sensitive and petty, at what point do you move on or stop telling the same stories? Like really? A conversation with Carlos Rogers on the field, making a joke, about his situation? That’s what you’re going to hold on to?”
So according to Rodgers, it was only Jennings and Finley saying this to get on TV because they’re otherwise irrelevant or just stirring up old shit. Well, Jennings is on TV all the time now. He’s a TV analyst and he makes the rounds every so often because that’s what TV analysts do. But then again, I’m not surprised Rodgers doesn’t know that, because he cut Jennings out of his life. According to Jennings, he later returned to Green Bay and tried to clear the air with Rodgers, and Rodgers completely avoided him. So who’s the one that’s really being petty? Also, making a joke about another man’s employment status, really? That’s low, man.
Then there’s Finley. Has he even gotten an interview somewhere? I’ve seen his name in connection to the article, but I haven’t seen him talking about it anywhere. Is he the one who is just stirring the pot? Well then.
But here’s the biggest thing. Jennings and Finley aren’t the only ones. They’re just the only ones who put their name on it, because they’ve already been frozen out of Rodgers’s life and they don’t care anymore. Besides, they can also gloat about how they’re brave enough to attach their names while the anonymous people aren’t.
In other words, I’m on Team It’s All Rodgers’s Fault.
Jennings and Finley are both in positions where they need to stay relevant and that means stretching the truth. Both are jockeying for air time on shows that love to stir up controversy where there might not be any or at least very little. Look at the shows Jennings is getting air time on. This doesn’t take a genius to figure this out. The reality probably is quite boring with too little too make a great story. Players are not running out of Green Bay or requesting trades every year and more players called out the story then the ones who did. Many of the players who left Green Bay under unfavorable circumstances are the ones coming back to trash Rodgers, McCarthy and the front office.
Jennings has been attacking the Packers for years and ruined a lot of his relation with Green Bay because he didn’t like the business aspect of the NFL that lead to his departure from Green Bay. He had lost a step and Green Bay knew it, but he wanted to get paid. He lasted like 3 more fairly meh years int he NFL. Finley had a bad injury, but believed he could come back. The Packers refused to take the risk and at first he left with farewell, but after no other team would touch him he became bitter claiming the Packers besmirched his name somehow(it was spinal injury, nobody comes back). Unless the anonymous come forward and don’t have some ax to grind this is just a hyped up nothing train.
I haven’t seen Finley on any shows. I’ve seen the shows Jennings gets on. He doesn’t need to take shots at Rodgers to stir the pot and I don’t say this as a compliment. Again, I don’t think they did it for personal gain. Most likely, the writer went to them and they were more than happy to tell him their stories. If you want someone who will take shots at Rodgers and put their names on it, Jennings and Finley are your guys. Also, just because the people who spoke against Rodgers and have something to lose and nothing to gain by putting their names on it chose to not put their name on it doesn’t mean what they’re saying is completely invalid.
Fuck taking Sides, I’m just here with my popcorn watching *All My Packers* the hit show brought to you by the same genius who wrote the script for *Days of Our Steelers* and *Sacksonville Abbey.*
Steelers, then the Packers…..wonder which team will be next? Please let it be the Patriots.
Well, there was this ESPN article. But the Patriots gave no fuck and won the Super Bowl the next year. So, seems unlikely.
As a lions fan, this satisfies me greatly
According to reports, Aaron Rodgers also has little dog syndrome over not being tall for a quarterback. He HATES it when people say they expected him to be taller. At 6’2″ he’s just the tiniest of smidges just shorter than me, so if I ever meet him in person I’m going to rip on him mercilessly* for being too short to be a good quarterback.
*And by mercilessly, I mean until calls security to remove me, and I start stuffing my pockets with shrimp and mini quiches.
Wasn’t there some interview where some reporter said something like, ‘wow, i thought you’d be taller’ or something like that and Aa-ron got super offended? I remember laughing my ass off at how sensitive he was.
No wonder he gets so mad whenever Russell Wilson beats him.
What strikes me about that article is how eerily similar it is to Brett Kollmann’s breakdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bax9C8damOU
The problems mentioned in that article, you see in the video breakdown. It’s interesting…
It happened. Its all true. Manti Te’o’s Girlfriend was there and she saw it all.
(I honestly dont care which is accurate, both sides sound like whiny schoolkids trying to smear each other in front of a disapproving principal, and neither comes out with any credit. Its entertaining).
I honestly am on team “gosh isn’t this guy going to come out anytime soon?” and really don’t care about the he said he said arguments that are occurring.
That said, there would always be the argument if Aaron didn’t come out strong on this that “he isn’t really arguing the story strongly for someone who is being lied about.” In gossip cases, nothing anyone does is right.
Moderates will save the world from all this “with me or against me” crap that is everything nowadays
I love the drama, but you gotta remember where it comes from: Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report is without question the single shittiest mainstream sports news site. They have to journalistic integrity. I have no doubt that a lot of that article was faked.
That said, some of the stuff the author faked might have been true. Just because the author doesn’t know shit doesn’t mean that Rodgers didn’t do all this stuff.
B/R has major issues but writing off everything is a mistake. B/R has poured a lot of money into getting some legit reporters and has come a decent distance from what they used to be. They still have massive issues due to throwing out content at every minute that we dont need and exploiting kids for cheap clicks, but they have some legit stuff now
I don’t know, it has a stiff competition from Yahoo Sports.
I find the idea that McCarthy was up in his office getting Krafted while team meetings were happening to be almost absurd. Head coaches are all workaholic maniacs, they are just not wired to be hands-off about what is going on with the team. He never would have survived for 10 years or however long it was.
Hey Dave, some potential filler comic stuff right here….
https://sports.yahoo.com/jay-cutler-once-cleared-kristen-cavallaris-milk-ducts-by-sucking-harder-than-hes-ever-sucked-135853186.html
Majority of the trade rumors are still crap though, keep in mind despite what happened. About Aaron Rodgers, they said he’s a homosexual. (Points to whoever catches that reference).
Is that like a Romosexual , but it doesnt like being choked during playoff season?
Hint: It came from a song.
Speaking of Raphael Palmeiro, guess he needs more than just Viagra, am I right? I remember one time an Oriole fan crapped on Joe DiMaggio by saying how Raphael Palmeiro was better and insults anyone arguing otherwise. Then you know what happened.
He does have a history that no one will match, being the only DH to win a gold glove in 1999. Even David Ortiz wasn’t able to do that.
I’m surprised there isn’t an AB comic out yet.
I wonder if the list Aaron was talking about happens to be a Death Note.
I’m with you. There’s probably overstated truth to the article. I will say- as a Northern California resident- Aaron Rodgers has had a bad rep for a very long time. Like back to his high school days long time. No one here is surprised by his antics and ego.