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Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has been one of the most polarizing players in the NFL since he was drafted back in 2005.
Whilst being one of the best quarterbacks to ever grace a football field, Rodgers' personality traits have often not sat well with fans and media alike. He's known as something of an outlier, in that he doesn't act how a traditional franchise quarterback usually does.
There have been plenty of leaked stories over the years of A-Rod falling out with coaches and players. Let's look back at five times the back-to-back NFL MVP stirred up a controversy.
#5 - Packers contract dispute
Back in the 2021 NFL offseason, all the talk was of Aaron Rodgers wanting to move on from Green Bay, amid a rift between him and the team.
Rodgers was known to be upset that the Packers used a 2020 first-round draft pick to select quarterback Jordan Love, and Rodgers wanted out. Amid the unrest, he spoke out, not taking a swipe at Love, but the 'culture' of Green Bay.
“I love Jordan; he’s a great kid. [We’ve had] a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It’s just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way."
#4 - Hub Arkush
In the run-up to the 2021 MVP vote, one of the men in charge of voting, reporter Hub Arksuh, labeled Rodgers as the 'biggest jerk' in the league. This was due to the Packers quarterback allegedly misleading the public on his COVID vaccination status - more on that later.
In response, Rodgers was asked for his thoughts on the matter, and he replied: "I think he's a bum, I think he's an absolute bum."
Rather than trying to defuse the situation, Rodgers ignited a feud. Thankfully for the Packers QB, it didn't cost him too much as he went on to win his second successive MVP award.
#3 - Ndamukong Suh
Aaron Rodgers has a long-standing beef with NFL veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh was drafted by the Lions and faced Rodgers twice a year, and through various battles the two haven't settled their feud.
During a 2020 clash between the Packers and the Buccaneers, whom Suh represented at the time, Suh and Rodgers had a heated exchange on the field.
Afterwards, Aaron Rodgers spoke to the reporters and said: "As far as Suh and I was talking about, that goes back a long time," referring to Suh receiving a one-game suspension for stepping on Rodgers' calf back in 2014.
#2 - Family feud
Aaron Rodgers and his brother Jordan are known to have been estranged for some time now, and this was confirmed when Aaron didn't attend Jordan's wedding. Speaking on The Bachelorette show back in 2016, Jordan said:
"My middle brother won’t be there, Aaron. Like I said, I have a great relationship with my brother Luke. Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship. It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life and I’ve chosen to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother.”
This quote in itself almost confirms that Rodgers has no relationship with any of his family at this point, but Aaron came out fighting and said in response:
“It's a little inappropriate [for Jordan] to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m just … I’m not going to speak on those things."
A-Rod clearly wanted to sweep this under the carpet, but speaking about it in the media is the last thing he should have done.
#1 - COVID situation
The most polarising episode of Aaron Rodgers' career came during the 2021 NFL season when he apparently lied to the league about being immunized against COVID-19. Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience, Rodgers said:
"PEG. Polyethylene Glycol. I did my research, I think typically speaking, because I'm healthy and I take care of myself, getting vaccinated was not on the top of my list. But, I wanted to look into it because everyone was doing it and talking about it and trying to be safe and I wanted to make sure I was doing my part if that's what was necessary to keep myself safe. My loved ones safe. My teammates safe. At the time, I went on the CDC website and it specifically said 'If you're allergic to PEG, we do not recommend getting vaccinated with the MRNA vaccines.'"
The NFL came down hard on Rodgers, banning him for a game and fining him $14,650. They also fined the Packers organization $300,000. This matter split opinions like no other, and while many sympathized with Rodgers in this situation, many believed he was very clearly in the wrong for his actions.
