Aaron Rodgers doesn’t mind talking to the media, but he makes sure it’s on his own terms.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback called into “The Dan Le Batard Show” on Thursday, and they chatted about how he handles the media as a fairly private person. Rodgers told Le Batard that there definitely are people he trusts, but when it comes to one-on-one interviews, he likes to record them himself in case the writer tries to take anything out of context.
Le Batard essentially was floored by the revelation — Rodgers said he got the idea from a Natalie Portman interview — but the 33-year-old joked that it isn’t that difficult.
“I have this thing called an iPhone, and it has this little app within it where you can push the memo button and it starts recording,” Rodgers said.
But what it comes down to for Rodgers is that he doesn’t necessarily distrust the media, but he knows there are certain forums where writers and analysts are looking to find the perfect quote to fit a story they’ve already created. He’s not a fan of hot-take culture, either.
“I just think there’s so much stuff on TV now and there’s not a ton of content, so the littlest stories — i.e. a quote I had about a question that seemed silly to me — becomes a talking point with five people at a table debating things,” Rodgers said. “And It just seems like TV in our sport, and really across the board, has become people who can talk the loudest and talk nonsense and make the most ridiculous statements to try and grab viewership.
“Also, in the same boat, it’s these click bait headlines that really have nothing to do with the gist of the story, but if they can do something that just is on the fringe of what was actually said in the story that’ll get the most clicks, well, that’s going to be the headline.”
The whole interview provided some interesting insight into Rodgers, and you can listen to the whole thing below.
Thumbnail photo via Jim Matthews/USA TODAY Sports Images
