New York Giants linebacker Jihad Ward was spotlighted in the most recent episode of “Hard Knocks” for getting in a spat with Aaron Rodgers, and he thinks the depiction of their exchange was not entirely fair.
In the viral clip, Ward put a late shove on Rodgers after the New York Jets quarterback released a pass. Rodgers took exception and told Ward he did not know who he was, which forced a referee to separate them.
On Wednesday, Ward offered his side of the story. He said he and his teammates were upset over a play earlier in the game where Giants safety Bobby McCain suffered a concussion after an illegal block from Jets receiver Randall Cobb.
This was a huge block by Randall Cobb on Bobby McCain, but, got flagged. pic.twitter.com/fGcJQEJAps
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 26, 2023
Ward said the Jets were “laughing” about the hit and making light of the injury, which he took exception to, and that his shove on Rodgers was his way of sticking up for his teammates.
Jihad Ward spoke candidly today about this: “They’re going to show his part and make me look like a sucker. But I ain’t going for that”
Ward was frustrated by the Randall Cobb illegal hit and he was sticking up for his teammates. He didn't like how Jets were "laughing" about it https://t.co/Vcg8Q1Ebje
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) August 30, 2023
“They’re going to show his part and make me look like a sucker. But I ain’t going for that,” Ward said.
“Hard Knocks” is certainly edited from the Jets’ perspective and is meant to tell a story. That made Ward’s interaction with Rodgers a good one for the show, even if the Giants linebacker was essentially cast as the bad guy.
The Jets and Giants do face off in Week 8. We’ll see if this little incident is forgotten by then.
