Aaron Rodgers finally cleared the air about his trip to Egypt in the middle of the mandatory minicamp. The QB revealed that the “mandatory” practice was an OTA disguised as a minicamp. Hence he planned his vacation accordingly. Unfortunately for the Super Bowl winner, every statement by him results in controversy these days, and safe to say that, from fans to analysts like Shannon Sharpe, none are happy with the Jets QB’s explanation.
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On the latest edition of Nightcap, Shannon called the bluff on Aaron Rodgers’ excuses and called him out for it. The analyst was appalled at the QB’s statement as he noted that a single check can get Rodgers informed about the compulsory nature of his training camp. Thus Sharpe felt that all Rodgers was doing right now was manipulating and playing with his words.
“We can go back and look it up and I guarantee you the last-minute Camp was mandatory from the time they set the offseason schedule. But somehow, he [Aaron Rodgers] thinks he slick, but you know what… you can’t be slick to a can of oil – that’s me… He likes to parse words, he likes to play semantics, plays word game…”
The former NFL star was so disappointed with Rodgers’ reason that he informed his partner in crime Ocho that if this were to happen back in his day, Unc surely would have been at loggerheads with the QB.
“It would have rubbed me the wrong way. He and I would have butt head, no questions about it.”
Co-host Ocho was equally disappointed by Aaron Rodgers’ statement and believed that with the trust that the Jets have placed on him, he should deliver more.
Ocho Urges Aaron Rodgers To Show Accountability
Ocho in his protest against A-Rod’s statement reminded the 40-year-old that being the QB is the face of the organization. It’s expected of him to be there in the mandatory minicamps. The Nightcap told Rodgers that the Jets pay him big bucks to be the role model for his teammates. Thus such statements don’t set a good precedent for his teammates, opined Ocho.
“Aaron you’re the quarterback baby. Voluntary, mandatory, new team, new players… you got to be there baby. You are the leader, you are the face. That team goes as you go, so you got to be there. That’s the onus of being the quarterback, that’s the onus of being the leader, that’s the onus of being the captain. That’s why they bought you, that’s why they pay you the big dollars.”
All said, the duo do have a point. While it’s understandable where Rodgers comes from, it’s hard to overlook the fact that it was a schoolboy carelessness on his side at the end of the day. A simple lookup could have helped him know whether the OTA was voluntary or not in nature.
