Aaron Rodgers says he doesn't care about being liked
Aaron Rodgers definitely is going on the charm offensive as he tries to immerse himself in all things Jets. The quirky and combative NFL quarterback now is talking about Taylor Swift concerts and old episodes of Jersey Shore. He made himself at home at Madison Square Garden, going with younger teammates to see the NBA or NHL playoffs.
There’s hardly a trace of the old Aaron Rodgers, who spent 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers always does a weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. And he’d usually use the popular podcast to talk about his views on some controversial topics. He’s kept that persona in check, of late. But he pops up every now and then. Like take some of his answers during a recent interview on Mad Dog Radio on Sirius XM.
“People that have seen me on The McAfee Show can see what I am all about,” Aaron Rodgers told show host Adam Schein. “There’s not a whole lot that’s held back and I shoot from the hip. Some people like it, some people don’t. Not everybody is into plant medicine, not everybody is into reading books, not everybody likes it that I say the occasional metaphor. But that’s fine.”
Aaron Rodgers insists he wants to be respected rather than liked
“I care more about being respected, especially by my teammates, than liked. Every great leader, that needs to be the focus. If you are worried about being liked over being respected then you are never going to stand for anything and you are not going to get respected,” he said. “More people will like you and appreciate you because we have those boundaries with the things you truly, truly believe in and willing to stand up for them.”
And Aaron Rodgers continued: “What am I willing to stand up for? My personal freedoms and rights and my belief system. If you like it, great. And if you don’t, that’s fine too.”
QB last pulled out a conspiracy theory weeks ago
Rodgers hasn’t been that controversial since the Packers traded him to the Jets a month ago. Days before the trade went through, the old quarterback seemed to endorse Robert F Kennedy Jr, the noted anti-vaxxer who is running for the Democratic nomination for president. Maybe he’s dropped that topic since Jets owner Woody Johnson is heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.
And it’s been months since he insinuated that a train derailment in Ohio was a distraction from the supposed release of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. Plus, that whole four-day isolation retreat seems like from another football season. Surely he’s not the same quarterback who inspired a New Yorker article about the “Selfish Individualism of Aaron Rodgers.”
Maybe he’s changed since Charles Barkley made fun of him a year ago. Barkley quipped: “I think he’s the pretty girl that you gotta tell her she’s pretty every day. I’m starting to think that.”
Now, the new Aaron Rodgers is talking up attending Broadway shows and taking in the Yankees or the Mets. About his only pop culture misstep since he joined the Jets was admitting he never liked The Sopranos. We’re sure Jets fans can forgive him of that faux pas.