Two weeks after announcing he was a “salary cap casualty” and would be leaving ESPN, longtime sportscaster Kenny Mayne channeled his inner CeeLo Green and said “fuck you” on SportsCenter.
That was how Mayne ended his interview with Aaron Rodgers after he jokingly lit into the Green Bay Packers quarterback for telling him to invest in cryptocurrency. “Last time we did the interview together, you told me to go heavy in the cryptocurrency game. I did,” Mayne said. “We’re down 40%, then I lost my job. Gretchen just wants a new comforter. Fuck you, Aaron Rodgers.”
That was the way the interview ended, but Rodgers did discuss the ongoing situation in Green Bay between himself and the Packers before Mayne’s stinging sign-off.
In his first public remarks about the standoff between himself and the team — which occurred on the same day other members of the Packers participated in OTAs at Lambeau Field — Rodgers indicated the two sides had a difference in “philosophy” and made reference to the organization forgetting about what actually makes it function.
“I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization,” Rodgers said Monday. “History is important, legacy of so many people who’ve come before you. But the people, that’s the most important thing. People make an organization, people make a business and sometimes that gets forgotten. Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people, not by the organization, not by the building, not by the corporation. It’s built by the people. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with a number of amazing, amazing people and got to work for some amazing people as well. It’s those people that build the foundation of those entities. I think sometimes we forget that.”
Reading the tea leaves, Rodgers was likely indirectly talking about general manager Brian Gutekunst and the way that he handles running things in Green Bay. Rodgers said he had no problem with Gutekunst drafting his potential replacement in Jordan Love, but took issue with how the GM handled it.
“With my situation, look it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan,” Rodgers told Mayne. “I love Jordan; he’s a great kid. [We’ve had] a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It’s just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.”
Perhaps if Rodgers doesn’t return to the Packers and Mayne doesn’t latch on with another media company they’ll start a podcast together. The future certainly appears uncertain for both right now.
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