Aaron Rodgers has lied about his vaccine status and eaten a booger on the sideline. But on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was an innocent party in another shocking moment: Teammate Broderick Jones pounced on him from behind.
Jones, a third-year offensive lineman who weighs 311 pounds, was celebrating the touchdown pass Rodgers threw seconds earlier against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the tackle drove Rodgers into the turf.
Rodgers, a 41-year-old who’s not so far removed from a near-catastrophic Achilles tear with the New York Jets, got up bursting with anger at Jones but was guided away to the sideline.
Rodgers did not address the lineman’s ill-advised exuberance at a postgame press conference, but a former Steelers lineman, Trai Essex, did on social media.
“I’ve literally have never seen this shit before. Obviously it wasn’t intentional by 77 but it was just dumb and a lack of awareness,” Essex wrote on X.
Rodgers parted ways with the Jets (0-6) after last season and eventually joined the Steelers, leading them to a 4-2 record and first place in the AFC North division despite their 33-31 defeat to the Bengals. One of his wins came against the Jets.
Being blindsided by one of his blockers probably wasn’t a concern of his until Thursday.