After addressing a much-discussed Bleacher Report article on an ESPN Milwaukee radio show earlier in the week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers met with the local media Wednesday.
But if reporters were expecting more reaction to the article, which Rodgers categorized as a "smear attack" on his character, the quarterback didn't plan on expounding too much.
"First of all, I stand by everything I said and I just kind of want to refer to that as far as any other comments go," Rodgers told reporters. "I said on the show and I meant it, it has been a great week. I've heard from a hundred-plus former teammates and coaches, and current teammates and coaches, and that's fun, especially some of the guys you haven't heard from in a while, checking in and encouraging you."
One current teammate used Wednesday's media availability to show support to the Packers' franchise quarterback.
"It's something that I'm really trying to put in the past at this point because it's nothing even to continue to drag on," wide receiver Devante Adams said, via NFL Network's Stacey Dales. "I think you've heard from all the people who are relevant at this point and actually matter, which are the people who played with him and played with him recently and had those good relationships with him.
"I think that it's been pretty uniform as far as how we feel about him -- a great leader. All the negative things I've heard, I share none of those feelings with those guys. So, nobody reached out to me. Nobody reached out to James Jones. Nobody reached out to Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, any of these guys that obviously had a good relationship with him. I think if those people were interviewed about him, then the story would have been a lot different."
Meanwhile, a reporter asked Rodgers if he shared any of the blame on how the relationships with Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley, both of whom were highly critical of Rodgers in the Bleacher Report article, have deteriorated.
The Packers signal-caller admitted he didn't know how to respond to that line of questioning, but indicated there wasn't a sense of high tension when they were teammates.
"During our time together, we spent a lot of time like I said on the show, talking the night before games with Jermichael about plays that he liked and route adjustments and signals, and stuff to be aware of," Rodgers said. "Greg, the same thing. There wasn't, like I said, if there were any issues during our time playing together, I would just cross the locker room.
"I enjoy those kinds of conversations, I really do. The locker room is about building relationships and I felt great about those when they were in Green Bay."
Rodgers declined to say if he and former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy have spoken since the article was published late last week, but Rodgers said the two have communicated since McCarthy's firing.
"We talked a few times," Rodgers said. "Like I said, he's living here, so he's in the area, he's got his kids here. So, he's going to be around and I look forward to see him here pretty soon."
Ultimately, Rodgers appeared more than ready to move on past the week of controversy.
The Packers have a new head coach in Matt LaFleur, there's an offensive system to learn and the team hopes to turn things around after two consecutive losing seasons, after all. And Rodgers prefers to place his focus on those areas after saying so much earlier in the week.
"There's an expectation living and playing here that you're going to compete for championships," Rodgers said. "And I think we all expect to do that."
