Robert Saleh was head coach of the New York Jets for three seasons and head coach of Aaron Rodgers for one season. He should know by now that any hint of drama with the Jets becomes a story, and pretty much anything involving Rodgers becomes a big story.
When Saleh called Rodgers’ absence from a mandatory minicamp Tuesday “without excuse,” he opened up the news cycle. There was debate about whether Rodgers should be there and what the quarterback did took precedence over camp.
On Wednesday Saleh had to clean everything up. There is no problem, he said, even though he called the absence unfounded a day earlier.
Robert Saleh wasn’t concerned about Aaron Rodgers’ absence
Saleh met with the media on Wednesday and was asked again about Rodgers’ absence. That makes sense, considering it became the biggest story in the NFL in June.
Saleh said he knew Rodgers wouldn’t be at minicamp. He said it wasn’t a problem for him or the team.
“Aaron and I are on exactly the same page,” Saleh said at a media conference. “There’s no problem between Aaron or his teammates. We discussed it yesterday, it’s more of an issue for everyone outside the building than inside. That’s what it is.”
All of that could have been avoided if Saleh had said the absence was excused, or if he had explained where Rodgers was. The story should die down for a while, even if there’s no word on what Rodgers is doing while he skips minicamp.
It was yet another reminder that there will always be something new when it comes to Rodgers in New York.
Rodgers remains away from minicamp
Rodgers’ absence did lead to a classic back page from the Daily News.
There was probably an easier way to handle the whole situation. One of the reasons it got a lot of attention is because Rodgers chided the Jets in January for distraction, saying the franchise needed to “flush the bulls***” and “eliminate everything in the building that we do individually or collectively and that has nothing to do with actually winning.”
Rodgers staying away from minicamp contradicted that, but it isn’t the first or last time the star quarterback’s words have been dissected. Rodgers does not shy away from making controversial comments or drawing attention, and a visit to New York has only accelerated the attention drawn to him.
The whole thing could have been a bigger story outside the Jets facility, as Saleh says, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
