During his final press conference of the 2023 season, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a clear and unequivocal message for his team: “There will be no distractions in 2024.”
Two months later, he caused a stir with the news that he was considering running for vice president of the United States, with the endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Everything that has nothing to do with winning needs to be evaluated,” Rodgers said on Jan. 8. . . . . Not half the time, not some of the time, not most of the time, but all the time. If you want to be a winning organization, win championships, and put yourself in a position to be competitive, everything you do matters. Any nonsense that has nothing to do with winning, get out of the building.. So that will be the focus going forward. ”
He was initially asked to explain those comments during a press conference on Tuesday.
“I mean, I spoke about it. Other than that, I don't have much to say,” Rogers said. “I feel like what I said was pretty direct.”
He then took more specific questions about distractions, considering running for vice president and propounding conspiracy theories during a podcast appearance.
“I mean, I respect everybody's opinion,” Rogers said. “That's the beauty of the First Amendment and freedom of speech in this country, whether it's negative or not, it's a positive thing to me. Before I address the comments about me, I make a joke about people talking about my vaccination status. I do that because there are definitely people who look at me under that lens and the comments about me are usually framed in that mindset.” [That’s not] “Whether it's a 'sensitive' comment or a 'victimization' comment, that's the actual truth. I respect those opinions, but that's offseason talk. And those are real opportunities. It was mostly a podcast with friends, but the Bobby thing was real. . . . Once the season starts, it's all about football.”
First of all, my vaccination status is: “I have consistently accepted the advice of a physician whom I trust with my overall health care for over 10 years.” Is that acceptable?
Okay, with that out of the way, what is he talking about? Distractions don't just happen in a building or during a season. They happen all year round. His comments in January certainly didn't mean, “Come on, create all kinds of problems and distractions right now, because once you're at work, it's all work.”
He's trying to have it both ways. And, frankly, if he had decided to run, the distraction wouldn't have been an issue, because he would have retired, leaving the Jets hanging at the quarterback spot. .
This remains the most underrated aspect of Tuesday's comments, as he considered retirement. The Bobby thing was real.If he had decided to run, he would have tapped out and embarrassed the Jets.
How can that episode not be allowed to get in the way? Doesn't any of the players wonder how serious he is about this cause? It's hard to tell if he's being serious or hypocritical when he berates them about “non-winning nonsense.”
He considered quitting them. And he left his team in the dark while the process unfolded.
Moreover, there were prevailing reports that Kennedy's major donors did not want Rodgers. What would he have said if he had actually been offered the position? (No additional questions were taken on Tuesday.)
It's also interesting to hear Rogers say he respects what people say about him. During his 145-minute marathon with Tucker Carlson, Rogers suggested at one point that “most of the people” who attacked him were “bad people” and “dependent on big pharma or money or whatever.” He would never say something like this at a press conference where someone might actually challenge or question him. The only place he would spit that kind of venom is in a safe place, where the host would allow him to do so without oversight.
I'm sorry, but if Aaron Rodgers plays in a sandbox bigger than football, he can't do it the way he does. He's said dangerous and irresponsible things about medicine and science. He also seems to have a borderline savior complex and is a bit of a hypocrite. Star Wars and Lord of the Ring. (seriously.)
For that to work, anyone who dares to oppose him must be seen as someone acting at the behest of Darth Vader or Sauron.
He plans to retire and go into politics, some grandiose idea he concocted while on an ayahuasca trip, about overthrowing the emperor, destroying the One Ring, or building the kind of legend he never got to build on the football field while competing against the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes.
