Aaron Rodgers didn’t exactly apologize, and his smile wasn’t audible on the radio Thursday. But if you read between the lines, you could tell: The Green Bay Packers quarterback kind of wished he’d have been a little more subtle like Jordy Nelson and a little less demonstratively angry about coach Mike McCarthy tossing the red challenge flag last Sunday – and nearly costing the Packers a touchdown in the process
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Speaking on
his weekly radio show on 540 ESPN and ESPNWisconsin.com Thursday, Rodgers admitted to being “obviously frustrated” when he saw McCarthy toss the challenge flag on what had been ruled a James Jones fumble at the goal line – a play that was by rule going to automatically be reviewed because it was a turnover.
So I’m over talking to the referee, and the back judge comes in and he’s the one that actually calls fumble-touchback. (And I) can’t believe it. … I asked the ref, ‘You’re going to review it, are we able to get a touchdown out of this?’ He said, ‘Yes, we are going to review this,’ and (that) they could overturn it and make it a touchdown.
“So I’m thinking, ‘Great.’ (And then) I look over and see the flag thrown (by McCarthy), and obviously (I’m) frustrated by that. Jordy makes a good play, puts it in his pocket – obviously everybody saw it – but it had already been buzzed down (for review by the replay official), so we were able to get that thing into the end zone.”