There was a time not long ago when Aaron Rodgers would have been playing Sunday against the Patriots despite recovering from a concussion. That time was 2008. Actually, Rodgers even played for the Packers against the Dolphins in week six despite suffering a concussion the previous week, so you know he is dying to play with his team needing a win to remain in the playoff hunt. The Packers however announced Saturday that Rodgers would not be playing in the game because he has not recovered from his second concussion of the season.
It takes a lot of balls for Green Bay to hold out their star quarterback in such a key game. Heck, if it weren’t for Congress hauling Roger Goodell to Capitol Hill for a hearing on concussions, A-Rodg probably would be playing. But the reality is this is the second concussion in two months for Rodgers and his brain needs time to heal.
The 27-year-old is one of the top quarterbacks in the league and has a decade of Pro Bowl appearances ahead of him. The Packers will be making the playoffs for the next several seasons with Rodgers leading the team and shouldn’t risk #12’s long-term health for one game, especially with how damaging we have learned concussions can be. Not having Rodgers against the Patriots will be damaging in the short term, but it’s the right decision to make.
