NFL
Aaron Rodgers Attends Kentucky Derby and Addresses Green Bay Situation
Kyle Dalton began covering sports in 1992 after he graduated from the University of Texas school of journalism. He published his book Burned Orange: Tom Penders and 10 Years at the University of Texas in 2000, and joined Sportscasting in 2020. Kyle expertly covers the NFL, NASCAR, and NCAA football. Kyle finds inspiration in the unscripted drama of sports, the compelling journeys and life stories of the athletes who play the games, and he enjoys reading the work of Mitch Albom. He is a rabid consumer of all sports on all platforms: TV, Twitter, podcasts, live events, and more.
Get to know Kyle Dalton betterPublished01 May 2021
Aaron Rodgers is synonymous with the Green Bay Packers. The three-time NFL MVP has played his entire career with the green and gold, including a Super Bowl-winning season in 2010. That’s why news of his desire to leave Green Bay just hours before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft shocked the sports world. Now, a couple of days later, Rodgers has indirectly addressed the situation.
Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bray
RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Drama Puts Crazy Tim Tebow Talk on Back Burner
On Thursday afternoon, as the Green Bay Packers and the other 31 NFL teams made final preparations just hours before the start of the 2021 draft, shocking news broke that Aaron Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay.
“Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted.
It felt like a delayed April Fool’s Day joke. How could it even be possible that the reigning NFL MVP, who already has one title in Green Bay and led the team to a pair of NFC Championship games in the last two seasons, would want to leave a city where he is a hero?
Green Bay responds on Saturday
RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Isn’t Clutch? This Bizarre 0-42 Stat Says It’s True
On Saturday, Green Bay President and CEO Mark Murphy addressed the Aaron Rodgers’ situation in a column on the Packers website.
“This is an issue that we have been working on for several months. Brian Gutekunst, Matt LaFleur and I have flown out on a number of occasions to meet with Aaron,” Murphy wrote. “We are very much aware of Aaron’s concerns and have been working with him (and his agent Dave Dunn) to resolve them.”
Murphy said the team remains “committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond.” He acknowledged that the relationship between Rodgers and LaFleur has been prosperous and taken the team to the brink of the Super Bowl for two straight years. He concluded that the team looked forward to competing for another Super Bowl with Rodgers as the team’s leader.
Rodgers addresses Green Bay situation at Kentucky Derby
RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Will Play in Green Bay, According to Packers GM Brian Gutekunst
On Saturday, while Murphy was addressing Rodgers and the team was still in the middle of the NFL draft, Rodgers wasn’t anywhere near Green Bay and he certainly wasn’t thinking about football.
Rodgers showed up in photos on Instagram in Louisville, Kentucky, where he and fiancee, Shailene Woodley, along with several others, including offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, were dressed to the nines before the running of the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
During NBC’s prerace coverage, they showed a shot of Rodgers up in a suite, and Mike Tirico mentioned that the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback declined to talk. Tirico did say Rodgers told him he was “disappointed that news has come out of this rift with the Packers.” He also said Rodgers expressed how much he loves Green Bay.
His love for Green Bay might still be strong, but that certainly doesn’t mean anything when it comes to where he’ll be playing next season.
Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportscasting19.
