Aaron Rodgers: Drafting Jordan Love didn’t trigger push to leave Packers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers opted out of almost every question anchor Kenny Mayne asked throughout a 15-minute interview to open Mayne’s final “SportsCenter” episode Monday night.
Initially, Rodgers said, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” alluding to fellow final show guest Marshawn Lynch’s response during news conferences.
“I’m just here because it’s your last show, that’s the only reason that I’m here.”
Kenny Mayne is calling it an ESPN career this month after 27 years. The longtime ‘SportsCenter’ anchor is going out as unpredictable as ever.
As Mayne clawed to get a response from Rodgers about his future after he declined to report to Packers optional team activities Monday and reportedly sought a trade, the only conclusion one could make after the interview was that Rodgers did not retire as of 8:45 p.m. on Monday, May 24.
Rodgers eventually offered a vague critique of the Packers organization.
“Sometimes people forget what really makes an organization, and you know, history is important — legacy, so many people who’ve come before you,” Rodgers said. “But, the people, that’s the most important thing. The people make an organization, the people make business. And sometimes that is forgotten, but it’s the people.
“Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people. Not by the organization, not by the building, not by the cooperation. It’s built by the people. And I’ve been fortunate enough to play with a number of amazing, amazing people. I’ve gotten to work for some amazing people as well. And it’s those people that build the foundation of those entities.”
Rodgers did knock down some theories people floated about why he might leave Green Bay.
“My situation, it’s never been about the draft pick, you know,” Rodgers said. “Picking Jordan, I love Jordan. He’s a great kid, a lot of fun to work together. I love the coaching staff, I love my teammates, I love the fan base.
“It’s been an incredible 16 years. It’s kind of about philosophy, maybe forgetting that it is about the people who make the thing go. It’s about character, about culture, about doing things the right way. A lot of this was put into motion last year, and the wrench was just kinda thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year, so this is just kind of like the spill out of all that.”
Rodgers went on to thank Mayne for his time at ESPN and changing the way that fans watched sports, dating back to the years Rodgers began watching “SportsCenter” as a kid.
Although Rodgers was polite and sentimental about Mayne’s final show, the sports world and Mayne were desperately looking for an answer on what might be next for last year’s MVP.
The future is still unknown.
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