Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his silence Monday.
ASSOCIATED PRESSGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his silence Monday night.
What remains unclear is whether the broken relationship between the disgruntled quarterback and the Packers can ever be fixed.
During an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter, Rodgers said he didn't have an issue with the Packers drafting Jordan Love in 2020 to be his heir apparent. Instead, Rodgers’ beef is how general manager Brian Gutekunst handled it.
“With my situation, look, it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan,” Rodgers said. “I love Jordan; he’s a great kid. (We’ve had) a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years.
“It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way.”
Five hours before the NFL Draft on April 29, word leaked that Rodgers didn't want to ever play for Green Bay again. Until Monday, Rodgers had let others do the talking for him.
And while Rodgers was largely vague and cryptic during his interview with Mayne, he did heap praise on many in the organization — except, of course, the front office.
“I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization,” Rodgers said. “History is important, legacy of so many people who've come before you. But the people, that's the most important thing. People make an organization, people make a business and sometimes that gets forgotten. Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people, not by the organization, not by the building, not by the corporation. It's built by the people.
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“I've been fortunate enough to play (with) a number of amazing, amazing people and got to work for some amazing people as well. It's those people that build foundations of those entities. I think sometimes we forget that.”
Gutekunst, who traded up to take Love with the 26th pick in the first round, has said he should have communicated better with Rodgers. Still, Rodgers’ camp let it be known the disgruntled quarterback wants Gutekunst fired.
Pro Football Talk reported, “(Rodgers) doesn't like anyone in the front office for a variety of reasons.” And The Athletic reported that Rodgers referred to Gutekunst as “Jerry Krause” — the man who built and tore down the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s — in group chats with teammates.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media also reported that Rodgers was telling Green Bay’s prospective free agents “before you make any decisions, I’m probably not gonna be there.”
Rodgers did not report to Green Bay’s voluntary organized team activities Monday. Rodgers, a Packer since 2005, had never missed any portion of the offseason program during his 16 years in Green Bay.
This year, though, Rodgers didn't take part in the four-week virtual phase or the in-person work that began last week. Rodgers missed out on a $500,000 workout bonus for skipping the offseason program, and will be subject to $93,085 in fines if he skips Green Bay’s mandatory mini-camp that begins June 8.
Rodgers, who won his third MVP award last season, ducked the question of if he hoped to be traded. He also didn’t address if he and the Packers could ever reconcile.
Instead, he talked about culture, relationships and people — things he’s clearly not happy with.
“A lot of this was put in motion last year and the wrench was just kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year,” Rodgers said. “This is just kind of, I think, a spill-out of all that. But it is about the people, and that's the most important thing.
“Green Bay has always been about the people — from Curly Lambeau being owner and founder to the 60s with (Vince) Lombardi and Bart Starr and all those incredible names to the 90s teams with coach (Mike) Holmgren and Favrey (Brett Favre) and the Minister of Defense (Reggie White) to the run that we've been on. It's about the people.”
The Link LonkMay 25, 2021 at 07:31PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2021/05/25/packers-aaron-rodgers-is-in-no-hurry-to-forgive-or-forget/
Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Is In No Hurry To Forgive Or Forget - Forbes
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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