Aaron Rodgers denounces "smear" – ProFootballTalk



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Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his silence. In a major way.

Appearing on the radio with Jason Wilde and Mark Tauscher of ESPN Milwaukee, Rodgers called Tyler Dunne's exhaustive article last week from BleacherReport.com's "collusion".

Here's the complete quote from Rob Demovsky from ESPN.com: "It was a smear attack by a writer seeking to advance his career, by talking with mostly irrelevant and bitter players, all of whom have an agenda, whether they are advancing in their own careers or simply trying to move old things. "

Rodgers specifically addressed two specific aspects of Dunne's report, one of which was scheduled for Friday afternoon by Rodgers.

"The two main things that I think I really want to talk about and that have just been clarified, which are really central themes of the article, the first is the [Packers CEO] Mark Murphy's conversation, because part of the article seems to mean that the Packers are worried about me as the head of the football team going forward, "said Rodgers. "And before I talk about what really happened in the conversation with Mark, I would like to say two things: first, if they knew it, why would they offer me a contract?" ;last year? And the second, which goes into the second central point of my thesis that I'm going to address, is that if I really hated Mike [McCarthy] so, why should I sign up again knowing that if I play and we do what we do here – we made the playoffs eight years in a row and then I hurt myself and we missed the playoffs – that's okay to be me and Mike all my career. So, if I really liked it less, do you think I would sign again? Is money important to me? I will tell you no. The quality of life is important.

Through Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Rodgers said the report that Murphy had told Rodgers "do not be the problem" is "ridiculous" and "100 percent wrong. "

Regarding the discord between Rodgers and his former Packers coach, Mike McCarthy, the quarterback admitted they had "problems," but he said these issues were still resolved and he denied any grudge going back to the project from 2005, when McCarthy and the 49ers passed. on Rodgers. Rodgers also advocated for a positive treatment of McCarthy in the community.

"I think we have to honor Mike and respect him properly," Rodgers said via Demovsky. "We had a run of hell. We had 13 years, four NFC championships, one Super Bowl, eight playoffs, 19 consecutive wins. . . . So instead of throwing this guy out, let's remember the amazing moments we had together. Remember that, Packer fans, especially those living in Green Bay: Mike lives here. Mike has young children here. So, Mike has to be here. Think how hard it is for him. My favor that I would urge you is that if you see Mike, give him your hand. Tell him thank you for the memories. Tell him thank you for the coaching job he's done. Tell him how much you appreciate that it is part of what we have built here. Things change from "06 to" 18. We had a bad season in 2005, we built something special and we had a lasting success. Instead of offending this guy by leaving it – last year was definitely hard – but honor him and his legacy as the second winning coach in the Packers' history. If you see him, show him the respect he deserves. Not only must he live in Green Bay, he wants it. He likes it here. He will be here. So, if you see him, do him this favor and show him the respect he deserves.

Rodgers regretted publicly complaining about the team's offensive after a poor victory over the Bills.

"I would have liked to say nothing after last year's Bills game," Rodger said via Demovsky. "I would have liked to have him in person. I was not trying to be disrespectful to him, but I know how it went. That's what I told him when I met him face to face.

Rodgers chose to address these issues not through the frenzy of a press conference or a scrum in the locker room, but in a radio interview conducive to a more reasoned and deliberate conversation, the latter being able to deal with all the topics that he wanted to cover. Although this does not mean that the problems will not be addressed if / when Rodgers meets the reporters during the first week of the team's offensive program, much of the ground is already covered.

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