SAN DIEGO — Most every day growing up I asked my mother: "What are we eating tonight?" Same answer, every time, was: "What I put on the table, you eat."
She never asked me what I would like.
So, because I'm the son of a fisherman's wife, married for a long time to a fisherman's daughter, and doing what I've done, it means I've never played boss.
But I am putting myself in charge today, so this is a unique, but long-awaited role.
I own an NFL team. I am a billionaire paying people extremely well to make football decisions, and even more money to my players — who are employed to perform, not to run the draft, how we should operate, or what we're having for dinner.
It's my asylum. Inmates aren't going to run it.
Call me a Baby Boomer. I'm fine with it, although there now are babies in the NFL who want to act as though they're in the NBA, which is a pathetic handful of teams made up of rich, entitled children, the greatest of whom — such as LeBron — are showrunners.
So now we have Aaron Rodgers, the NFL's reigning MVP (1-4 in NFC Championship Games), fed up with the Packers, reportedly saying he won't play in Green Bay again. He was caught off guard when he wasn't consulted on the Pack's first pick in the 2020 draft, Jordan Love, the supposed QB-in-waiting, and he needed more immediate offensive help.
Forty-eight touchdowns vs. 5 picks later, don't think it was needed.
Should Packers brass have at least told him they were taking Love as a courtesy? Maybe. But they traded up. It was a last-second deal.
There's also a rumor crawling around that Aaron wants GM Brian Gutekunst canned (remember, Rodgers hasn't admitted — or denied — anything).
What he hasn't said is that he was drafted to eventually replace Brett Favre and sat for three years. No difference.
It all began in Houston when Texans QB Deshawn Watson, upset with a lack of personnel input and realizing the garbage dump he was standing on, said he was done and wanted out. Texans tarnished brass balked, but since then 22 women have filed sexual assault suits against Watson, basically making him untradeable (for now).
Russell Wilson hasn't gone quite that far in Seattle, but he's more than hinted he'd like a say in personnel matters. Pete Carroll, the chef, isn't changing menu orders.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray also would enjoy playing a little GM. What's he ever done? At least Rodgers and Wilson have won Super Bowls, and Watson was without question one of The League's top five QBs in 2020.
Bruce Arians says loopy Tom Brady "was kept in the loop" during the weeks leading up to this draft. So what? Did Tom demand the Bucs not draft a quarterback (replacement?) Kyle Trask? Besides, he's Tom Brady. Exactly as many rings as Saturn.
It can't happen in baseball. MLB execs have little clue about amateur talent, let alone professional players.
Terry Bradshaw played when QBs had spines. Listen: "Let him cry. Retire. It looks weak."
John Kuhn, former Packer and Rodgers' good friend, believes there's a "70, 75 percent chance" Aaron starts this year in Green Bay."
Favre says: "Knowing Aaron, he would sit."
As owner, I'd tell him: "Aaron, here's the chair."
Don't ever count out wanting more money. But he ain't making $25.5 mil on "Jeopardy!" Expensive chair.
Control would be like a labor bargaining chip. Give it up and you're not getting it back.
