Robert Saleh has been head coach of the New York Jets for three seasons and head coach of Aaron Rodgers for one. He should know by now that any hint of drama with the Jets becomes a story, and practically anything regarding Rodgers becomes a big story.
When Saleh termed Rodgers’ absence from a mandatory minicamp “unexcused” on Tuesday, he opened up the news cycle. It was debated whether Rodgers should be there and what the quarterback was doing that took priority over the camp.
On Wednesday, Saleh had to clear it all up. There’s no issue, he said, even though him terming the absence unexcused a day earlier made it one.
Robert Saleh not worried about Aaron Rodgers’ absence
Saleh met the media on Wednesday and was asked again about Rodgers’ absence. That makes sense since it became the biggest story in the NFL during a slow time in June.
Saleh said he was aware Rodgers wouldn’t be at the minicamp. He said it wasn’t an issue for him or the team.
“Aaron and I are on the exact same page,” Saleh said in a media conference. “There’s no issue between Aaron, or his teammates for that matter. We addressed it yesterday; it’s more of an issue for everyone outside of the building than it is inside. That’s about it.”
That all could have been avoided had Saleh said the absence was excused, or explained where Rodgers was. The story should die down a bit for a while even though there’s no word on what Rodgers is doing while he skips minicamp.
It was another reminder that there’s always going to be some headline when it comes to Rodgers in New York.
Rodgers stays 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 reason it got plenty of attention is that Rodgers chided the Jets in January for distractions, saying the franchise needed to “flush the bulls***” and eliminate “anything in the building that we’re doing individually or collectively that has nothing to do with real winning.”
Rodgers staying away from a minicamp contradicted that, but it’s not the first or last time that the star quarterback’s words will be dissected. Rodgers hasn’t shied away from making controversial comments or drawing attention, and going to New York only accelerated the attention brought to him.
The whole thing might be a bigger story outside the Jets’ facility, as Saleh says, but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
