Jihad Ward blames Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb for viral Hard Knocks spat - “That was some s***er s**t”

Linebacker Jihad Ward will have a chance to revisit his feud with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season. The New York Giants face their fellow MetLife Stadium tenants, with the NFC East squad being the designated home team.

Their conflict became public when HBO’s Hard Knocks shared their verbal and physical confrontation. However, the eight-year NFL veteran claimed that Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Randall Cobb triggered him to react that way.

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Jihad Ward’s reaction to Randall Cobb’s hit and Aaron Rodgers’ verbal spat

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News had an opportunity to interview Jihad Ward from the Giants locker room. The former Illinois University standout said that anger got the better of him after Randall Cobb’s blindside block on Bobby McCain.

Cobb incurred a penalty for that hit. In a brief Hard Knocks clip, Rodgers also told his long-time teammate with the Jets and the Green Bay Packers:

“Cobbi lost all his f**king training camp money. What are you doing bro? This ain’t 2014.”

Cobb was apologetic throughout the clip, saying he blacked out and hadn’t hit anyone for a while.

Ward said about the sequence:

“There’s a reason why I acted like that (in) the first place,” Ward said Wednesday at his locker. “There’s a reason why I shoved him like I did. The reason why is because I don’t let none of my mothf**kin’ teammates get knocked over, you know what I’m sayin’?”

“And Randall — what’s his name, Randall Cobb? — he knew what he did. That was some cheap sh*t. But it’s like, if I see anything on the field, I gotta do what I gotta do. This ain’t no rah-rah this, that, and a third. I don’t do all this internet stuff. I’m gonna let them have it.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers confronted Jihad Ward after the defensive player nudged him. The quarterback did not like the gesture, prompting him to fight back. Rodgers threw a touchdown pass in a succeeding play before saying to Ward:

“Don’t poke the bear.”

Ward added to his rant:

“That was some s**ker s*it that Randall Cobb and Aaron Rodgers did. And I’m stamping on that. I ain’t hiding from nothing. So, you could laugh now, cry later … They know what they did, and they (were) laughing and all that stuff. And I was the only one that was sticking up for him.”

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Who is Jihad Ward?

The linebacker who confronted Aaron Rodgers was a second-round pick by the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in the 2016 NFL Draft. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ward joined the Giants on a one-year deal during the 2022 offseason. He had 43 tackles and three sacks last season. He re-signed with the team this offseason. The Philadelphia native has 142 tackles and 13 sacks.