The relationship between the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers reached its breaking point last season. After a loss to the last place Arizona Cardinals, McCarthy was shown the door abruptly, ending his decade-long tenure in Green Bay.
On Thursday, however, a tell-all article by Bleacher Report gave readers a peek inside the Packers facility under the tenuous relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers. One of the talking points that sticks out is the accusations that McCarthy would miss team meetings in order to get a massage.
McCarthy responded to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero about the accusations, calling them “utterly absurd.”
Former #Packers coach Mike McCarthy tells @TomPelissero on today’s article: “I’ve moved on from Green Bay.” As far as the massages, McCarthy told him, “To say I ever missed a meeting to get a massage is utterly absurd."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2019
While McCarthy was serious about shooting down those rumors, he also poked fun at himself, saying he does have a massage appointment scheduled for Friday.
Here’s the full quote from Mike McCarthy, who I spoke to about an hour ago. Certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humor. pic.twitter.com/bmDEQbJDTr
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 4, 2019
Quality sense of humor from McCarthy.
While McCarthy says he is no longer focused on the Green Bay Packers, the revealing article is certainly eye-opening. Between Rodgers allegedly telling rookie wide receivers to choose to either listen him or McCarthy, to Rodgers changing a third of McCarthy’s play calls, the drama was real in Green Bay for the better part of a decade.
What Happened in Green Bay? A checked-out coach. A tuned-out quarterback. The dynasty that never was. New at @BleacherReport … https://t.co/yehAo1Arsr
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) April 4, 2019
When it comes to the massage rumors, though, McCarthy isn’t stressing it. He’s due back in the massage parlor tomorrow, but this time won’t be aggravating any Packers’ players by doing so.
