Getty Images Fox Sports host and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw prior to Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 02, 2020.
On Monday Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw appeared with Moose & Maggie on WFAN radio in New York and didn’t hesitate to weigh in when asked about the ongoing rift between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has reportedly given the organization an ultimatum, having “made it clear to the Packers he is unwilling to return if Brian Gutekunst remains the general manager.”
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When asked whether Rodgers has a right to be “this upset,” Bradshaw did not mince words.
“With him being that upset shows me how weak he is. Who the hell cares who you draft? I mean, he’s a three-time MVP in the league and he’s worried about this guy they drafted last year at number one [QB Jordan Love at No. 26 overall]?
“For him to be upset, my God, I don’t understand that. Pittsburgh drafted Mark Malone number one [No. 28 overall, 1980], Cliff Stoudt in the third or fourth round [actually fifth round, 1977]. I had ’em coming at me from all angles. I embraced it, because when we went to practice, I wasn’t worried about those guys, you know? They didn’t scare me a bit. So I don’t understand why he’s so upset at Green Bay,” Bradshaw concluded, before going on to question the thought process behind telling the team he’ll return if the general manager if fired.
Bradshaw Offers Advice to the Packers
Then Bradshaw resumed his rant by offering unsolicited advice to the Packers,” encouraging them to call Rodgers’ bluff to see if the 38-year-old retires.
“Here’s what I’d do,” Bradshaw said. “I wouldn’t budge. Let him gripe. Let him cry. Retire. You’re 38. Go ahead and retire. See you later….”
That is one option for the Packers. If he were to retire, Rodgers would likely have to repay $23 million in unearned signing bonus money. He would also lose the $6.8 million roster bonus he earned earlier in the offseason, and give up the $14.7 million salary he’s due to earn in 2021. That’s $44.5 million in cash—an enormous amount of money—so much that even the promise of a full-time Jeopardy! gig would only soften the blow.
Terry Bradshaw Calls Aaron Rodgers ‘Dumb’
But the criticism took an even uglier turn when Bradshaw later appeared on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on 670 The Score in Chicago and addressed the same controversy.
At one point Bradshaw said: “Well, [Aaron Rodgers is] just dumber than a box of rocks, isn’t he?”
“I mean, he signed that contract, he didn’t have to sign that extension. He got all that money. I don’t know what happened there, they draft (Jordan Love) last year and he wasn’t happy about it. He goes out and becomes the MVP of the league, now he wants out, now he’s claiming that they would trade him…?”
It’s a little bit of a surprise that Bradshaw used the word ‘dumb’ when talking about another NFL quarterback, as he didn’t appreciate it when just prior to Super Bowl XIII Thomas ‘Hollywood’ Henderson of the Dallas Cowboys said Bradshaw was so dumb “he couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the c-a.” Being considered dumb bothered Bradshaw for years before Henderson voiced that unforgettable quote.
In fact, during an interview with the 700 Club, Bradshaw lamented the way he was treated by the media during his playing days. “You have to understand, I got hammered pretty good by the media. They called me stupid. They called me dumb. That’s pretty powerful,” he said.
Perhaps Bradshaw just got carried away during the Chicago interview. Still, it should be interesting to see if he apologizes to Rodgers in the wake of the ‘dumb’ comment.
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