Getty Fullback John Kuhn #30 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 29, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Mike Florio may want to consider picking his words more wisely next time he decides to take a shot at former Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn.
Kuhn sounded off the NFL insider earlier this week after Florio referred to both him and former Packers teammate James Jones as “surrogates” of franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers in an article for NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk based around Kuhn’s recent comments.
The main account for PFT — which Florio runs — also tweeted out the story and more directly labeled the ex-Packer as “Aaron Rodgers surrogate John Kuhn” in the teaser text. The disrespect lasted for less than five minutes before Kuhn fired back and issued a stern warning:
It is hard to imagine Florio appreciated such a direct callout from a 250-pound former NFL player who, four months away from 39, still looks very much like the bruiser fullback that gained 1,158 scrimmage yards and scored 23 total touchdowns over his nine seasons in Green Bay. Give him props at least for rolling with the punches and playing it off with a joke — or trying, anyway.
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Kuhn Not the Only Ex-Packer to Rip Florio
Rumors and reports about Rodgers’ future with the Packers have run rampant since ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported on the now-public rift between the two sides. Local and national NFL reporters have squeezed their sources for morsels of alleged information on the matter, while members of the Packers brass — including team president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst — have acknowledged, in part, their ongoing issue with Rodgers.
Nobody, however, has heard from Rodgers in all of this aside from several of the people closest to him, including Kuhn, Jones and current Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.
Florio indicated he has tried to contact Rodgers for comment and told some of his Twitter critics “he won’t talk” when pressed about why the quarterback’s perspective is lacking in his stories, which holds up considering the reigning NFL MVP hasn’t done interviews with anyone since the Kentucky Derby on May 1. Even then, Rodgers declined to talk about the Packers and only spoke on camera about the Derby itself and his interests in the event.
Former Packers guard TJ Lang doesn’t seem surprised Rodgers wouldn’t talk to Florio, though, and even gave him a rather blunt reason for why.
@ProFootballTalk @LeftOfCenter21 Because you are a tool.
Florio Stands by Kuhn-Rodgers Assertion
Florio, a self-proclaimed member of Rodgers’ “s*** list,” can probably count on drawing the ire of NFL players at this point with some of what he writes. While he has surely cultivated dozens of strong relationships around the league and is a nationally recognized member of the NFL media, he has also displayed a tendency for button-pushing and gotten into online arguments with both players and reporter peers.
Rodgers himself has specifically called out Florio in the past for his reporting on “friction” between Rodgers and former head coach Mike McCarthy.
“Especially guys like Mike Florio, don’t waste your time reading crap like that,” Rodgers told reporters when asked about his relationship with McCarthy in 2016.
At the same time, Florio isn’t flinching with Kuhn’s comments. He stands by his assertion that people close to Rodgers would not be speaking on his behalf without his consent, and it isn’t hard to understand why when you consider how Rodgers has reacted to former teammates talking about him.