I won't pretend that I know Aaron Rodgers face to face, however, I have watched nearly every one of his press conferences and every episode of his (now defunct) radio show with Jason Wilde. I also take immense pride on hearing both sides of a story, or at least consider that I'm being fed fluff from somewhere, someone. That being said, the Tyler Dunne article I feel was very much slanderous and bullshit.
To say that Aaron has an ego is no surprise. He's a freaking elite talented QB and you'd be hard pressed to find an athlete at any level who isn't going to have similar ego and walk with similar arrogance.
One of the things Aaron said coming into the NFL that always stuck with me was if he's remembered more for being a great QB than great person, he considers it a failure. That is not word-for-word, but the point is, he values being a good person over being a good athlete.
There are many times I've watched Aaron give a sarcastic answer to a reporter that have been written as "Aaron being arrogant, Aaron showing he's the smartest one in the room and remind us" and such. The thing to remember here is a lot of the times it's because he has a rapport with the reporter he's replying to. He often times give a little smirk at that reporter to kind of say "gotcha!". For example, when Randall Cobb signed with the Packers, Cobb actually reached out to Jason Wilde first via iMessage, BUT, Wilde was asleep. So, one of the locker room conference deals Aaron said something like "Unless you're sleeping on the job" or something like that. Out of context, it reeked of arrogance and being condescending. Thing is, Aaron was just giving Jason shit, that's it!
I do not like how Aaron interacts with young WR's on the field. A few times I saw him really get on a guy when I thought damn man, just hold that in and when he comes to the huddle, put your arm around him and inspire him, say something like "gotta catch that, but I know you will next time" or "don't worry about it, we'll get it next time". I am also cognizant of I could be out of line here. Maybe Aaron knows which players need inspired, and which players need that throat crunch. I only know how it looks on the TV and my interpretation of it.
I am not a fan of disconnecting with family, that is something I think Aaron should fix. BUT, I am 100% ignorant to what happened. And with having lost my mother, I am over-sensitive about family. You can also take into consideration how moronic his brother is with his social media and airing out family issues publicly. Aaron did say that family sometimes changes and start to expect things from you just because of your fame/stature. I really don't know what is going on with his family, and won't pretend to either. I just know how I feel about it and what I (hope) would do in similar situation.
Greg Jennings ... some of the things he said I believe are TRUE. One interview Greg said Aaron didn't like bunch formations because he would rather use his cadence to get the defense to show what they were going to do. I believe this to be true because it fits what I "
know" about Aaron the player. He wants control and that responsibility. The counter argument to that would be, why didn't we see more bunch formations with non-12 QB's behind center?
When it came time for his contract, James Jones was verbally backed by Aaron Rodgers. Aaron later said that was a mistake and that he needs to be QB, not GM. So when Greg Jennings doesn't get that same vocal backing that Jones did, suddenly his QB doesn't "want him" on the team.
As Packers fans, I have read some saying TRADE HIM, and so many disparaging things and it really annoys me. I see what is happening, I read articles like all of you too. That Dunne article meshed rumors and other things already said with some newly acquired and sought out information to validate it. Some Rob from TotalPackers used Dunne's article as validation of his opinion.
People are so quick to knock down a "millionaire" because of the money they make and because of their celebrity status. Aaron does not like the fame, he does not want to be the focal point. The article was right about Aaron wanting everyone to dedicate themselves as much as him and him turning a bad eye on those who don't. It's the same issue with any exceptional athlete. They fail to understand they have gifts that others do not, yet demand others to be as good as them and putting forth similar if not greater dedication.
When it comes to the whole 49ers drafting Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. That was not Mike McCarthy! McCarthy said he felt Smith was the more mobile of the two. “The story I heard, and I don’t know if it’s true or not, was that Mike Nolan said when he saw Alex open the car door for his mom, he knew that was his quarterback,” Aaron Rodgers said, per
Pro Football Talk . Aaron said he would from time to time would joke with Mike and that sometimes Mike would be like "you just get over it". Aaron told this to his radio show audience! Aaron was being lighthearted about it but obviously there was some truth behind it and Mike was uncomfortable about it. It's not hard to see how some in the same room would think "OMG Aaron is holding a grudge!" about it. The background on that is not told.
The article Dunne inked up was aimed to degrade the player and the man that is Aaron Rodgers. The article didn't go into how many charities Aaron handles (Tahoe, MACK Fund, etc), how many selfless things he does for numerous people or anything of that nature. The fact that he went to Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley tells you everything about his motives.
Aaron is one of the good guys. I hope Packers fans give him the benefit of doubt until HE does something to deserve losing such benefit. Take it from someone who follows the Packers and puts more stock in facts than hyperbole.