Thursday’s article from Tyler Dunne of BleacherReport.com contains plenty of intriguing details about past internal issues with the Packers. It also contains one very important nugget regarding the future.
Dunne explains that, when CEO Mark Murphy called quarterback Aaron Rodgers to inform Rodgers that the new coach will be Matt LaFleur, Rodgers paused briefly before speaking. Eventually, Murphy had a message for his quarterback: “Don’t be the problem. Don’t be the problem.”
Citing the same unnamed source who shared that anecdote, Dunne reports that Murphy is “tired of the diva stuff” relating to Rodgers.
And here’s an important non-development regarding the 12 hours or so since Dunne’s report landed. At a time when former coach Mike McCarthy has issued a strong (but perhaps far from dispositive) denial regarding the report that he regularly missed meetings for in-office massages, the Packers have said nothing at all in response to the various claims and contentions that cast Rodgers in a not-so-favorable light.
The extent to which this story will be a problem for the Packers remains to be seen. With the team’s offseason program opening on Monday, it surely will be a topic of conversation, both inside the locker room and beyond.