We praised Aaron Rodgers for his magnificent performance against the Falcons on Saturday in the playoffs, as did his coaches and teammates. But it’s not all love for Rodgers the day after his big game. Pro Football Talk posted a video of Packers fans who showed up at the airport to see the team off Friday, hoping for autographs.
To summarize what happened, Aaron Rodgers ignored breast cancer patient Jan Cavanaugh who came straight from a radiation treatment hoping for an autograph. Linebacker Clay Matthews made up for the disappointment as much as possible, stopping to sign and chat with the woman. Here’s the video that was pulled from WBAY’s website but was transferred to YouTube:
The video was promptly pulled from WBAY’s website, presumably to protect the station’s relationship with the team (given the bad press Rodgers has already received). PFT’s Mike Florio ripped into Rodgers, pointing out that there is no excuse for ignoring the fans who are responsible for the players’ salaries and popularity. Generally I like to give athletes the benefit of the doubt when it comes to stories like this, but after seeing the way Matthews treated the lady, it’s impossible to make an excuse from Rodgers. Hopefully he’s learned his lesson and won’t do something like that again.
And in case the video gets pulled again, this should explain exactly what happened. Packers fan and cancer survivor Jan Cavanaugh said she rushed out of a radiation treatment to go to the airport. “I’m still hoping to get Aaron to sign this hat I’m wearing,” Cavanaugh told WBAY. “I had breast cancer and I still don’t have have much hair so I wear this hat a lot, and I’d like to have his signature on it.”
Rodgers straight up ignored Cavanaugh and walked right past her. Linebacker Clay Matthews went straight up to her when he saw her, even saying “I was talking to the stewardess about you. They mentioned you.” Hopefully his generosity made up for Rodgers’ lapse in Cavanaugh’s mind. Rodgers will not live this down for a while.
