Aaron Rodgers weighs in on the derogatory comments that Sean Payton made toward Nathanial Hackett earlier this week.
To quickly recap…earlier this week on The Pat McAfee Show, Sean Payton sat down to talk about his new role as the Denver Broncos head coach.
It is no secret that their 2022 season was less than stellar. However, Payton took some pretty big shots as he trashed previous head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, who is now the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, causing quite some buzz.
While Payton has since apologized for the comments, that has not stopped heads from turning between NFL fans and players.
CNN reported shortly after he said that his predecessor did “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” that Payton made a statement acknowledging that his comments were out of line.
“It was a learning experience for me. It was a mistake, obviously. I needed a little bit more filter … I said what I said, and obviously, I needed a little bit more restraint, and I regret that.”
He also noted that he was apologetic to the Jets’ head coach, Robert Saleh, and would apologize to Hackett in the future.
“I think the world of Robert (Saleh). I know him. I don’t know Nathaniel (Hackett). But at the right time. Listen, it certainly will bring more interest in the game when we play them, but that seems like years from now. But I’ll handle it the right way.”
While Payton had made these formal statements, this has not stopped NFL players from making comments.
Aaron Rodgers sat down during training camp with Peter Schrager, who asked Rodgers his thoughts.
Hackett formerly coached Rodgers as offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, and was reunited with his former quarterback this season when Hackett was hired as the offensive coordinator for the now-Aaron Rodgers led New York Jets.
Schrager noted that he does not think Hackett is bothered by the matter, and given that Rodgers and Hackett have a long history together, Schrager wanted to hear his thoughts.
“I love Nathaniel Hackett.
Those comments were very surprising for a coach to do that to another coach. My love for Hackett goes deep. We had some great years together in Green Bay and kept in touch…love him and his family. He is an incredible family man.
And on the field…he is arguably one of my favorite coaches I’ve had in the NFL. His approach to it, how he makes it fun, how he cares about the guys, and just how he goes about his business with respect, with leadership, with honesty, and integrity.
It made me feel bad that someone who has accomplished so much in the league is that insecure that they have to take another man down to set themselves up for some sort of easy fall if it doesn’t go well for that team this year.
I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.”
Many fans agree in the comments section, whether a fan of Payton, ARod, Hackett, or none at all, that Payton’s comments were unprofessional.
While sports come with some trash talk here and there, it also comes with mutual respect for others. Payton did not set himself up to gain that respect from Hackett from these comments.
It will be interesting to see how these two interact on the field during this season’s Broncos-Jets game.
