Aaron Rodgers, one of the most contentious yet gifted players of this century, is both loved and hated, but rarely ignored. Throughout his long career, which began in 2005 with the Packers, Rodgers, 41, has had his share of run-ins and feuds, from clashes with Jimmy Kimmel to strained ties with his own family. But among all of them, a grudge he developed just last year during his stint with the Jets stands out.
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We are talking about his beef with Ryan Clark. It all began last season when Aaron Rodgers appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and indirectly took shots at Clark, mocking his role on SportsCenter. Rodgers accused him of offering “irrelevant opinions just to stay relevant” instead of doing the actual work of breaking down the NFL.
Clark didn’t hold back, responding by calling Rodgers a fraud and tone-deaf for doing the very same thing on McAfee’s show, for a paycheck. Since then, Clark has been willing to let bygones be bygones. Just that Rodgers isn’t interested.
With Rodgers now the quarterback of his former team, the Steelers, Ryan has expressed interest in sitting down with him, hoping to welcome him to Steelers Nation and have an honest conversation. He insists he doesn’t dislike Rodgers and even admits he considers him the best quarterback he has ever played against.
But Rodgers isn’t entertaining any such reconciliation. The quarterback doesn’t want a conversation, doesn’t want to acknowledge Clark, nothing. That much became clear when Clark recently visited Steelers training camp.
As Clark arrived, he spotted Rodgers chatting with OC Arthur Smith. Seizing the moment, the former safety approached, greeted them both, and tried once again to show he harbored no ill will.
Smith smiled and returned the greeting. Rodgers, however, merely shrugged, said nothing, and carried on as if Clark wasn’t there. For Ryan, it wasn’t insulting; it was consistent. Rodgers doesn’t fake relationships or play nice for appearances. He simply has no interest in engaging with the former Steelers safety, and he made that clear.
Marcellus Wiley weighed in on the ongoing beef between Clark and Rodgers, offering a more measured perspective. In his view, if a member of the media wants to criticize or trash-talk an active player, it should be based strictly on performance.
“The funny thing about this is, I think there’s only one reason, really, you should talk trash about a player, right? Cos they’re playing trash. Simple as that. We all get it. There is only one reason to talk trash about me if you’re in the media: I’m playing like trash,” said Wiley.
Wiley has an issue with the way this particular feud has unfolded. He believes that if two people have a problem with each other, the best approach is to confront it directly and have an honest conversation. That keeps things from festering or spiraling out of control.
“The way that’s received is based on how he is in terms of character. But here’s the one that really gets everybody, no matter who the player is, when it gets personal. That’s where the Ryan Clark-Aaron Rodgers situation went when it got personal,” added Wiley.
But in this case, Clark has said publicly that he has no problem with Rodgers, while Rodgers refuses to say the same and continues to ignore him. To Wiley, that’s not a healthy way forward. Clearly, there is a problem, and it should be addressed head-on.
What makes the situation worse, Wiley points out, is that Rodgers wasn’t playing poorly at the time Clark took his shots. His comments went beyond football, crossing into the personal. That, he argues, is where Clark crossed the line.
While Clark has used his platform to air out the issue, Rodgers hasn’t taken the same approach and has chosen to stay tight-lipped. Part of that is because he’s still playing and needs to keep his focus on the field.
With what could be the final season of his career coming up, Rodgers has bigger priorities. The Steelers are counting on him to deliver, and he wants to bow out on a high note.
After a rocky year with the Jets that tarnished his reputation, Rodgers is determined to restore it before hanging up his cleats and securing his place in Canton.
