Four-time league MVP and former Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers is gearing up for his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers spent his last two seasons with the New York Jets, and some of his new teammates had some pointed words about the veteran, who did not have things go his way in his two seasons with the Jets, to say the least.
These comments included safety DeShon Elliot, who said they should “leave his ass in the retirement home” last season. Now, Rodgers is addressing the things his new teammates said about him.
“Well, I think there’s a great quote in a TV show that I enjoyed called Ted Lasso. Ted talks about one of his favorite quotes: be curious, not judgmental,” Rodgers said, according to Blitzburgh.
“And I think that’s kind of how I wanted to approach this season and anybody that said anything, I try and put myself in their shoes as much as possible. And I respect the hell outta you and what you’ve accomplished in the game and your leadership from afar, it seems like you’re the type of leader that I’d wanna play with. So when you said that I didn’t take offense to that at all.”
It’s great to see Rodgers taking such a mature approach to his situation. For what it’s worth, Elliot already addressed things on his end as well.
“I’m a troll. He’s an All-Pro and he’s a GOAT. He’s going to be a gold jacket guy one day. Honestly, when he got here, we communicated, we talked, he’s a great person and a great football player, so whoever the media’s put out there is B.S.,” Elliott said.
“I respect him a lot. I told him that I respect him, and I apologized to him for the things I was saying about him. Honestly, he’s a great man and he has a great heart, so I appreciate him and he’s funny as hell.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Rodgers and the Steelers do in what is likely going to be his final season in the league.