Aaron Rodgers has made no bones about it: He is tired of this story going around that he is a terrible teammate and resistant to authority. The narrative being painted about him by some former players has forced the long time Packers quarterback to step up and defend his name in a very vocal way.
Rodgers has called reports of his ‘broken relationship’ with former head coach Mike McCarthy nothing more than a ’smear attack.’ It would appear now that No. 12 is growing weary of these attacks on his reputation.
"This lion who is kind of getting nipped at and nipped at and just kind of laying there, allowing this to happen, these hyenas. Then finally they've had enough, this lion had had enough and just smacks one of them down…." – Aaron Rodgers #Packers #NFL pic.twitter.com/dFkIdKdeVA
— Wilde & Tausch (@WildeAndTausch) April 10, 2019
Those sound like fighting words. Maybe not literal fights, but Rodgers certainly appears laser focused on admonishing these critics. His play in 2018 was hampered by some injuries he revealed recently, which didn’t help Green Bay anymore than these reported locker room rifts.
Aaron Rodgers said in an interview that aired Tuesday on ESPN Milwaukee that he suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a sprained MCL in his left knee in Week 1. He still started 16 games last season.https://t.co/7JuRZ1wnNL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2019
With the NFL draft two weeks away on April 25, Rodgers and the rest of the organization will be ushering in a fresh crop of young talent to the Pack.
Perhaps now more so than ever before, it is imperative that Rodgers be as welcoming and receptive to being a mentor as possible. Fantastic play and a deep playoff run won’t hurt his reputation either.
