Green Bay Packer coach Mike McCarthy said repeatedly during his Friday news conference that the decision not to play quarterback Aaron Rodgers against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday was made by the organization.
Rodgers is recovering from a fractured left collarbone.
According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, McCarthy's insistence that the decision was an organizational one came at the prompting of Rodgers and that created some tension between the coach and his starting quarterback.
Mortensen reported his story on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown."
"A CT scan of Aaron Rodgers' fractured left collarbone still showed extraordinary risk if he returned to the football field today, according to sources," Mortensen said. "So why the emphasis on organizational decision by Packers coach Mike McCarthy on Friday to the point where McCarthy mentioned it eight or nine times by media count? That's because Rodgers insisted vehemently on a message of organizational decision, sources said, with an emphasis that he is a tough guy.
"One source says the quarterback's sensitivity that his injury absence would be compared to Brett Favre's reputation for toughness was a driving force behind McCarthy's message, which created a palpable tension between the coach and the quarterback," Mortensen said. "And sources say McCarthy clearly understood Dr. Patrick McKenzie's unwillingness to give Rodgers medical clearance and there was no real organizational decision about it. It was medical."
Bob Wolfey wrote: