Say what one will about New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but there is no denying the fact that he is one of the smartest players in the NFL today, and perhaps in the history of the league. Not only does he have an incredibly high football IQ, but he is also well-read in many other subject areas.
Many may not agree with his politics, and many more may not agree with his belief in numerous conspiracy theories. However, one cannot deny that Rodgers does not accept anything without doing a great deal of reading and research. It is part of his nature.
As such, words are incredibly important to Rodgers. He chooses them carefully when speaking to the media and is very intentional with what he says.
Which is why his latest comments regarding the blowback over his unexcused absence from mandatory minicamp in June are very ironic.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Blames Deceiving Language for Minicamp Controversy
As fans know, Rodgers was not present for the Jets’ mandatory minicamp back in June. He had been present for all of the voluntary workouts and activities during OTA’s but skipped minicamp. At the time, head coach Robert Saleh called Rodgers’ absence “unexcused.”
Now, it is common knowledge that Rodgers missed minicamp so that he could go on a trip to Egypt that he had been planning for a quite some time. When he returned, he reportedly had a conversation with Saleh regarding his word-choice when describing his absence to reporters.
During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Rodgers blamed deceiving language for the controversy surrounding his absence:
“They can arbitrarily put a tag on whatever week of OTAs they want and say this is the minicamp week which makes it more mandatory than the other weeks. But it was an OTA schedule. That’s how words can be a little deceiving from time to time. They can make a story about how I missed a minicamp when it was really two OTA days. I came to the first 10.”
As one can see, Rodgers views minicamp as just extra OTA activities. And it is true; he was present for the first 10 days.
It is ironic, though, that Rodgers points to deceiving language in a negative manner.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Has Used Deceiving Language Before
Back in 2021, Rodgers was still playing for the Green Bay Packers and the world was still trying to work through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Part of this was the rule by the NFL that a certain percentage of players on every NFL team needed to be vaccinated.
This was before the world became aware of Rodgers’ extreme dislike for vaccines. Prior to the season, when asked about his status, Rodgers said that he had been immunized.
Only later, after he tested positive for COVID and missed a regular season game against the Kansas City Chiefs, did it come out that he was not, in fact, vaccinated. He had taken alternative measures to try to protect himself against the virus.
At the time, Rodgers said he did not lie to reporters. He had, in fact, been immunized. It was their fault for assuming he meant vaccinated.
But he knew what he was doing. He knew the effect his words would have in that moment.
Which is what makes his “deceiving language” excuse regarding his trip to Egypt so ironic.
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