STAMFORD, CT – When I was an aspiring sports writer kid, a real sportswriter popped my bubble when he told me that most athletes are disappointing jerks. This wasn’t too surprising at the time, and certainly isn’t now. Still, some athletes still seem like decent humans, in spite of my better judgment. Here are three that seemed like good guys but have recently revealed something that made me say, “Yeah, that guy’s probably a jackass.”
Aaron Rodgers
Great athletes are treated like gods from a very young age, so it no doubt comes as a shock to them when their team starts planning to replace them.
The Packers drafting Julian Love in the first round didn’t make a lick of sense, with Rodgers still having plenty of tread left on his tires, and so many pieces in place for a championship run. I don’t blame him for being upset.
But having a great year and then taking a stand before the next season seems like an odd choice. Especially at this late juncture in his career. That’ll show ‘em? Did he need that slight to motivate him to an MVP season? Come on Aaron, make your objections known, make sure you have some say in the next draft, and go about trying to win a championship for the fans that adore you. Cement your legacy as one of the #BestToEvaDoIt. Don’t cry like my kids in front of a closed ice cream shop.
He supposedly doesn’t talk to his family, for some perceived slight 20 years ago. The man can hold a grudge. Rodgers seems like the kind of guy who would be great to hang out with until someone said the wrong thing.
“Yeah Aaron, and then you threw that interception, haha.” [Record scratch]. “Check please.”
Yeah, that guy is probably a jackass.
Kevin Durant
If you believe the scuttlebutt, Durant recently brought a back up to a date. Some of the bros out there might be thinking “Awesome. What a sick move. Legend.”
But come on. If Girl B was willing to be a third wheel and disappear if the date with Girl A went well, presumably, she would’ve been willing to wait at a different location. Why bring her along?
I can only assume it was a “look at me, I’m Kevin Fooking Durant, I can do whatever I want” move. Maybe he was looking to shoot from beyond the arc, if you catch my drift, or go for the menage, if you parlez-vous ze francés. But surely this topic could have been broached to Girl A alone, not with Girl B sitting there too. Showing up with another date is a jerk move, no matter who you are.
Yeah, that guy is probably a jackass.
Josh Donaldson
Liam Hendrinks recently said of his ex-teammate “I am not a Donaldson fan. On the field, one of the greatest. You want him on the team behind you. But I saw behind the curtain too much, and I’m not a fan.”
It’s not hard to imagine Donaldson being a jerk, on any side of the curtain, but I needed a third jackass. This guy has one of the most punchable faces since Bill Laimbeer.
He recently taunted pitcher Lucas Giolito by yelling “hands not sticky anymore” while crossing home plate after a dinger. Kinda funny, I’ll give him that.
Yeah, that guy is probably a jackass.
What well-liked athlete do you think is probably a jackass? And speaking of thin-skinned jackasses with punchable faces, come back tomorrow for Angry Ward. Follow us on Twitter at @benwhit, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
