Aaron Rodgers courts controversy like railroad tycoons courted textile heiresses in the roaring ‘20s. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ new-old quarterback would probably dispute that. He’d probably tell you the media are drama queens, not him, and to some extent that may be true, but it seems that everywhere Rodgers goes, a headline of his own making follows.
That was the case this weekend at the American Century Championship—the annual Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament where Rodgers has become a fixture in recent years. Though Rodgers finished 15th, he still made the news on Sunday evening when video of him responding to young a fan he allegedly almost hit with his club while walking to the next tee went viral. Listen closely.
As Rodgers makes his way to the tee box, drink in hand, a young fan can be heard shouting “you almost hit me, Aaron Rodgers!” Without even looking up, Rodgers replies, “almost doesn’t count,” and continues on his way.
There’s plenty we don’t know here. Did Rodgers almost hit the young fan or was the kid simply fishing for a free glove? As someone who has been to the ACC in person, I can tell you that many fans are simply there autograph and freebie hunt, and a lot of dads use their kids as tools in that hustle. But we also don’t know what was in Rodgers’ cup or how many cups he'd had, if you catch our drift.
Of course, this would be a slam dunk nothingburger if Rodgers had simply replied, “sorry kid, I’m all out of gloves” or tossed him a tee as he walked by. Done, dusted. The video never sees the light of day. You never hear about it. Everybody moves on with their life. This happens a million times a week on the PGA Tour. But true to form, Rodgers took the bait. He decided to give the kid a lesson in horseshoes and hand grenades while half the gallery had their phones out and rolling. Was it uncalled for? That’s for you to decide, but there’s no question it was a bad look. That’s nothing new for Rodgers. He has put himself in the crosshairs before, but this time he's dragged golf into it too.