‘I don’t know what else the NFL can do’: Aaron Rodgers defends the NFL amid Tua concussion scandal
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‘I don’t know what else the NFL can do’: Aaron Rodgers defends the league amid controversy over Tua Tagovailoa concussion and urges players to exercise self-monitoring: ‘Be smart… we need to think about our health on the long term’
- Rodgers said in London there’s not much else the league can do for concussions after Tagovailoa suffered maybe two in four days
- The Packers are the last NFL team to play a game in London, and Rodgers will make the trip worthwhile – attending the US-England game tonight at Wembley
- He touched on his love for ‘football’ and once he ran into Steven Gerrard
- Click here for all your latest international sports news from DailyMail.com
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Aaron Rodgers turned on the charm, showing his dry wit and support for Manchester City when he first faced British media.
And the 38-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback, a four-time MVP, also said he’s happy with the level of protection the NFL provides against concussions, but urged players to practice self-monitoring.
“I think it’s enough,” he said when asked about the level of protection the NFL offers players. ‘I just think that we also have to guard ourselves and be smart about that. Players want to be there. But we need to think about our long-term health.
“I think we all know the difference between getting a shock and having a concussion. There is certainly a difference. I’ve had a few on the field and there’s a difference between getting nailed and going to the sidelines, maybe your jaw or neck hurts a little bit and you actually have a concussion.
While the Green Bay Packers first played in London, Aaron Rodgers spoke to the British press about concussion, meeting with Steven Gerrard and the USWNT at Wembley
“I don’t know what else the NFL can do. I don’t always defend the NFL with every decision they make. Every topic should be negotiable. When it comes to this, there are independent people on the sidelines looking out for those hits. I think you should keep a closer eye on those specific pieces.
“Of course you saw the play with Tua back – you go back the previous week – you saw him stumble a little after a hit. I think we all know what was going on there.
“For Tua, I understand the predicament. You want to be outside and keep playing, but we all need to think about our long-term health because we know the effects of CTE are well documented and researched. I don’t know what else the league can do. We try to pull guys off the field. Like I said, there are multiple people looking at specific head injuries. We have to watch ourselves.’
During an extended press conference, the Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed that he had been hit by a star during a chance meeting with Steven Gerrard at a clothing store in Beverly Hills.
Rodgers spoke at length about his love for football (soccer) and his support for Manchester City
After landing this morning, he revealed a chance meeting with Steven Gerrard in LA
“I had a random encounter with Steven Gerrard when he was playing for the Galaxy. It was one of the rare moments in my life where I was hit by a star, and we were like a store in Beverly Hills. I got an outfit for the ESPYs or something and I was just stunned.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I looked around and no one knows who he is. I think it must have been nice for him to be over the United States and have some anonymity because of the fame he has for his career here.”
And Rodgers will also be cheering for the USWNT when they face the Lionesses at Wembley tonight, despite the early landing from Green Bay this morning.
“I’m going to watch the US national team tonight! It is clear that the Lionesses are the Euro champions. So it’s friendly, it’s competitive. Yes, I want to go into town a bit. We obviously came in later in the week. So I’m not sure about (watching Manchester City) tomorrow.’
Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers go into Sunday’s game against the Giants 3-1
Rodgers has supported City after watching Amazon’s All or Nothing on the 2017-18 season, and spoke about meeting Pep Guardiola et al when Manchester City played Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field in July.
“I went to the dressing room and met De Bruyne. We traded some sweaters together. They have an interesting coaching staff, a lot of Spaniards in that staff who were damn funny. Pep was great. It was nice to have something like this at Lambeau. We have had some interesting concerts over the years. We don’t get a lot of big acts through our small town, so having Bayern Munich and Manchester City playing there was really cool for all of us.”
Two teams with winning records will play in England for the first time, with the 3-1 Packers nominally hosting the 3-1 New York Giants on Sunday.
The Packers were the last NFL team not to play a regular season game across the pond
Due to the NFL’s expansion to the 17-game regular season, Green Bay has given up a home game to play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is the 32nd and final team to play a regular season in England.
“We have too big a draw in the United States. So in the end we can get by with 17 games,” said Rodgers.
“I’ve always dreamed of watching a big concert, a big football game at Wembley, so I’ll be there tonight. But the matches have always been great – this is a first match between teams with a winning record, I believe in London. It’s time we got here.’