Aaron Rodgers has not been the usual elite level quarterback we’re used to seeing from past seasons on the field this year. While there could be many factors attributing to the decline in his performance on the field, an anonymous source says the main reason is issues with his family. In a detailed story for Bleacher Report, writer Tyler Dunne explains that the source says Rodgers has been cut off from any contact with his family for about two years now and it was Rodgers who did it.
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The main topic of the story is actually about wondering if Rodgers can be the leader the Packers need him to be. He seems to have strange relationships with teammates, which is part of the reason the story questions if he can lead if he comes off as arrogant and treats certain guys different than others.
This is a teammate so loyal, he texted “Happy Birthday” to a former third-string tight end who caught nine passes in Green Bay. Said D.J. Williams, “He cares about guys on his team.”
This is also a teammate who never gave his cellphone number to Jermichael Finley, the starting tight end, through six seasons together
When Rodgers brother Jordan was on ABC’s The Bachelorette, it came out that he and Aaron virtually had no relationship. According to Dunne’s source, Rodgers issues with his family go much deeper than just the lack of contact with his brother. The source wanted to remain anonymous but they try to tie in the family problems with his down year on the field thus far.
One source, who was close to Rodgers for years but is among the many who have since been cut off by Rodgers entirely, said the quarterback has not spoken to his family since December 2014. Don’t feel too bad, J-Mike. Immediate family members don’t even have his cellphone number. When Mom and Dad sent Christmas presents to the quarterback and his girlfriend that year, the source said, those gifts were mailed back in February. He was set to be the groomsman in the wedding of one of his closest friends, the source said, and texted the day before he couldn’t attend.
He didn’t attend his grandfather’s funeral—the same grandfather he once called before every game.
He fired a business manager he’s known since high school.
The family was told they were no longer welcome in Green Bay. If Dad wants to attend a game now, he buys tickets on StubHub or goes through another player’s family.
Now there have been plenty of athletes who were great in their sport, despite having issues within their own family or cutting family members off. Still the source is adamant this season is more of a karma thing for Rodgers.
“There’s no explanation for him playing any worse,” said the source, who wished to speak under the condition of anonymity. “People are trying to figure it out. He’s a f—king head case. He knows he’s doing the wrong thing, and he’s so arrogant and prideful that he thinks he can separate his personal life from his professional life, even though all of us know that’s impossible. You can’t do that. You can do that in little spurts, like when Brett Favre went out and played amazingly when he loses his Dad. But when you’re talking about real situations that aren’t all of a sudden circumstantial and you f—k over good people, people you’re supposed to love, it’s a s—tty thing to do and you’re going to get humbled.
There’s no questioning he definitely is not at the top of his game this year. His downward slide actually started towards the end of last season and he has ranked among the bottom of the list for quarterbacks statistically since. Whether the stress of his family problems are the root of that are up for debate but regardless he and the Packers need to get refocused because the playoffs are slowly fading away if they don’t.
H/t Deadspin
