Aaron Rodgers

[The Ghostbuster]

Aaron Rodgers came back after 10 days of quarantining after testing positive for Covid-19. He didn't look sharp in the Packers' 17-0 win against the Seattle Seahawks, but a win is a win (especially for a Packer fanatic like me). Rodgers has stirred up quite a bit of controversy in recent times, both last off-season and with his "immunity" comments, non-suspension and "small" fine. What are your thoughts on the Packer quarterback?

[JayhawkCO]

He's a heck of a quarterback but mostly a douche.  Not just saying because I'm a Vikings fan, but it seems like he's a pretty anti-social guy who is tough to get along with, hence he's no longer in contact with his family.  It's fun to play against him because he's so good, but his personality makes him extremely punchable.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm a Lions fan so I don't like anyone who plays QB for the Packers.  The trying to get traded thing kind of just reinforced in my mind Rodgers was kind of a douche bag.  For much of the same reasons described in the post above me he always came off as an unlikeable guy.  The COVID stuff really doesn't hold much sway for me or really changes my opinion.  I know lots of people who are/aren't vaccinated and outside of some extreme cases it doesn't make much difference to me.  I just assume most professional athletes are juicing to begin with, so their medical choices never really tend to surprise me.

[webny99]

Oh boy, this could be a tough subject to keep on the rails.

I don't have a very strong take about Aaron Rodgers other than that his ego is probably one of the largest among all NFL players. I don't think very highly of him as a person, but there's no denying that he is a great quarterback. You could also argue that he has underperformed in big moments (4 NFC Championship game losses) and that he should have more than one Super Bowl win in his career. Of course, it's always hard to assign blame to one particular party with this stuff, but I'd certainly say it's at least partly on him.

[SectorZ]

I can't believe people felt he should be suspended because he lied to "the fans".

[hotdogPi]

I can't believe people felt he should be suspended because he lied to "the fans".

Line item veto.

[NWI_Irish96]

I will echo what others have said in that he's just a very unlikable guy. Add on top of that the current situation of putting his political beliefs above the well-being of his teammates. The Packers essentially emasculated their coach and put Aaron in charge of personnel just to get him back for one more Super Bowl run. Never mind that in his entire career, the only time he's won an NFC Championship game is when the other team's QB missed most of the game injured.

I literally switched my insurance away from State Farm when he started endorsing them. I told my agent he was free to call me back once that endorsement deal ends.

That said, he's been coddled by the league as a superstar white quarterback. I've lost count of the times he and his team have taken cheap shots at opponents and gotten away with it.

[SectorZ]

I can't believe people felt he should be suspended because he lied to "the fans".

Line item veto.

Why?

[JayhawkCO]

I can't believe people felt he should be suspended because he lied to "the fans".

Line item veto.

Why?

He intentionally obfuscated his vaccination status so that he didn't have to follow the rules set forth for unvaxxed players.  The fact he got fined less than a guy who had his shirt untucked is absurd.  I don't know if I'd argue suspension, but a heftier fine at least.

Chris

[wanderer2575]

I don't know anything about him personally.  I imagine he's got a healthy ego and can be a jerk at least sometimes.  I imagine he has to be a jerk sometimes because otherwise his life would never be his own.  And I imagine that every one of us would have the same ego and be as much of a jerk if we were in his position.  It's easy to say "I would never be like that" when I and you have never been there.

I'm bothered that he won't own his decisions.  "Yes, I broke the rules, and I did so knowingly" are words I have yet to hear come out of his mouth.  And I'm bothered at how penalties assessed by the league can be so out of proportion to the severity of the infractions.  I'm not going to get into whether the league's COVID protocols are effective or justified; that's irrelevant.  What is relevant is that such protocols have been established, and think it's ridiculous that the penalties for violating them are less than the penalties for an untucked jersey or wearing the towel wrong (has anybody ever even used one?). 

What really makes me turn off the major leagues is that if you're a hotshot bringing in the bodies and the benjamins, the rules don't apply to you.

[Alps]

No talk of vaccines in this thread please. Keep it to what Aaron himself specifically said and did. This thread is on lock watch.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't think anyone (including myself) mentioned anything specifically about being pro or anti vaccine.  But discussing vaccines is kind of relevant to talk about his recent behavior.

Lock it if you must, but deleting related conversation is strange to me.

[jp the roadgeek]

Well, he did enough to win me my fantasy matchup, so it's all good. 

[wanderer2575]

No talk of vaccines in this thread please. Keep it to what Aaron himself specifically said and did. This thread is on lock watch.

I did.  I said he did violate a rule.  I specifically said I was not going to get into why said rule was enacted. because that's irrelevant.  I'll try to be more vague and euphemistic in the future.

[Alps]

I don't think anyone (including myself) mentioned anything specifically about being pro or anti vaccine.  But discussing vaccines is kind of relevant to talk about his recent behavior.

Lock it if you must, but deleting related conversation is strange to me.

Someone got into discussing verbiage that was used. I don't want this thread to go that route because it gets away from Aaron himself.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't think anyone (including myself) mentioned anything specifically about being pro or anti vaccine.  But discussing vaccines is kind of relevant to talk about his recent behavior.

Lock it if you must, but deleting related conversation is strange to me.

Someone got into discussing verbiage that was used. I don't want this thread to go that route because it gets away from Aaron himself.

Fair enough.

He's an ass. 

[ET21]

Fun player to watch, a douchebag otherwise

[kevinb1994]

I'm disappointed that he has stooped this low. This, after he played at TIAA Bank Field earlier this year (a game that I didn't really watch from afar because I knew what was going to happen).

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm disappointed that he has stooped this low. I'm ashamed to be a Packers fan.

If you feel ashamed about a competition (or competitor's actions) that you have no influence over then maybe you want re-examine your priorities?  That always felt like such odd stance for people to take on life pertaining to the sports world. 

[kevinb1994]

I'm disappointed that he has stooped this low. I'm ashamed to be a Packers fan.

If you feel ashamed about a competition (or competitor's actions) that you have no influence over then maybe you want re-examine your priorities?  That always felt like such odd stance for people to take on life pertaining to the sports world.

I edited my post seconds before you replied. I'm not ashamed to be a Packers fan, just disappointed that he has stooped this low.

[Henry]

I'm a Bears fan so I don't like anyone who plays QB for the Packers.  The trying to get traded thing kind of just reinforced in my mind Rodgers was kind of a douche bag.  For much of the same reasons described in the post above me he always came off as an unlikeable guy.  The COVID stuff really doesn't hold much sway for me or really changes my opinion.  I know lots of people who are/aren't vaccinated and outside of some extreme cases it doesn't make much difference to me.  I just assume most professional athletes are juicing to begin with, so their medical choices never really tend to surprise me.

FTFM

The above is true, since I used to just hate Rodgers and Favre before him, but with the latest issues surrounding Rodgers, I now have extra reason for despising him because they made him come off as a complete jackass.

[hbelkins]

I don't think anyone (including myself) mentioned anything specifically about being pro or anti vaccine.  But discussing vaccines is kind of relevant to talk about his recent behavior.

Lock it if you must, but deleting related conversation is strange to me.

Someone got into discussing verbiage that was used. I don't want this thread to go that route because it gets away from Aaron himself.

Fair enough.

He's an ass. 

Who, Rogers or the guy who discussed the verbiage he used?

[JayhawkCO]

I don't think anyone (including myself) mentioned anything specifically about being pro or anti vaccine.  But discussing vaccines is kind of relevant to talk about his recent behavior.

Lock it if you must, but deleting related conversation is strange to me.

Someone got into discussing verbiage that was used. I don't want this thread to go that route because it gets away from Aaron himself.

Fair enough.

He's an ass. 

Who, Rogers or the guy who discussed the verbiage he used?

Well, I discussed the verbiage he used, so... both. 

Chris

[triplemultiplex]

Rodgers had always struck me as a guy who, rightly or not, acts like he is above the drama.  Some of the off season sports talk babble about this and that over the years, he comes off looking good by not saying much.  And mid season when there are a few bad games, R-E-L-A-X; that was chill.

But at the same time, here's a guy who still has a chip on his shoulder even though he's The Man now.  Clearly that's made for some unpleasantness with coaching staff and management in recent years.  I can't help but wonder if it a least one of those NFC championship losses was a "fuck you" to someone above him in the organization.

Then with the CoViD incident, he's revealed to me as another one of these pro athletes who are all up in their own head about what they think they should be doing with their bodies to gain an edge.  The athletes who lean on magical nonsense, thinking it is helping them play better when really it's all about raw, innate talent.  Harmless, until it leads them to listen to idiots like Joe Rogan, or some girlfriend's foo-foo 'guru' spouting worthless garbage about "shakras" and "toxins".  And the next thing you know, you miss a key game because bad advice leads to bad outcomes.

Elite athletes are so vulnerable to this kind of bullshit because of the pressure to continue performing at a high level.  They will grasp at anything that creates the illusion of an advantage.  Further, there is an endless parade of charlatans and snake oil salesmen who salivate at the chance for an elite, popular athlete to try their shit and be convinced it helped.  Because now they can turn around to the gullible, star-fucker general public and trumpet this connection all the way to the bank.

And naturally, the con-artists with worthless tinctures to sell also have kooky ideas about human biology and will gladly pass on their "knowledge" to the elite athletes and the next thing you know, an MVP is guzzling horse semen or whatever because it "prevents Corona."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tLGzZhnXwc

[thspfc]

But at the same time, here's a guy who still has a chip on his shoulder even though he's The Man now.  Clearly that's made for some unpleasantness with coaching staff and management in recent years.  I can't help but wonder if it a least one of those NFC championship losses was a "fuck you" to someone above him in the organization.

Yep, I'm sure a professional athlete who is one of the best to ever play his sport and is obviously concerned with his legacy and how he will be remembered after his career is done would intentionally throw a crucial game and rob himself of a chance at a second Super Bowl, just so that management suffers a little bit.

Translation: that's about as likely as Obama playing quarterback for the Packers next year.

And only one of the Packers' NFC Championship losses has been largely on Rodgers, and even in that one he led a late game-tying field goal drive when he could have easily just mailed it in if he wanted to lose.