Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers declined to speak to NBC on Saturday. Obviously, Mike Tirico would have asked Rodgers about the ongoing situation with the Packers.
But that didn’t stop Rodgers from talking on camera. He did roughly five minutes with TwinSpires, a gambling outlet. Amazingly, no mention was made of the issue with the Packers.
Then again, maybe it’s not that amazing. Rodgers undoubtedly conditioned his willingness to talk on not being asked to talk about the 800-pound block of limburger in the room. (Most reporters would decline to do the interview at all if the most glaring topic can’t even be mentioned.)
In the segment, Rodgers seemed loose, happy, and affable. And he gets bonus points for having “Turd Ferguson” on his name tag.
Still, it was weird (to say the least) that Rodgers would be interviewed on camera and the topic that has dominated the American sports scene for the past three days wouldn’t even be mentioned.
At this point, his silence serves as further confirmation that it’s all accurate, and it’s all true. As Tirico said yesterday after talking to Rodgers, there’s a “fissure” and a “chasm” between player and team. Rodgers seemed to have done a good job of compartmentalizing that on Saturday, but the divide remains.