Announcer thinks Aaron Rodgers is on bad terms with Cal

By Doug Carey | Oct 5, 2015

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers set several Cal passing records when he played for the Golden Bears from 2003-2004, but his connection to the school is fragile at best.

It’s one of those things you might not even notice but when former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers is introduced during an NFL game, he says he’s from Butte College. No mention of the Golden Bears. Just Butte College in Oroville, where he led the Roadrunners to a 10-1 record in 2002 before transferring to Cal. I hadn’t really given it much thought until Saturday, when legendary Cal radio announcer Joe Starkey went on a brief rant about Rodgers during the Golden Bears’ win over Washington State.

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Starkey essentially he was scolding Rodgers for his petty behavior toward Cal because he thinks Rodgers is unhappy the school fired his former coach Jeff Tedford after the 2012 season. Starkey referred specifically to Tedford’s dismissal and urged Rodgers to let it go.

“Coaches get fired, Aaron,” Starkey said. “It happens all the time.”

For his part, Rodgers maintains that he refers to Butte College during introductions as a way to give the school credit for his development. According to a report from the San Jose Mercury News last month, Rodgers told Mike Silver of NFL.com that he looks back fondly on his days at Butte:

“Cal was a really important time of my life and I loved my experience there, but I had some amazing times at Butte College, too,” Rodgers told Silver.

“Coach (Craig) Rigsbee gave me an opportunity to advance my career, when no one else wanted me,” Rodgers said. “And it’s a tribute to him and Coach Jeff Jordan — who was my quarterback coach, and is now the head coach — for what they helped me to achieve.

“That year was such a powerful year in my life as far as gaining confidence in who I was as a person, and who I was as a leader, and who I was as a football player. So that’s my tribute to them, being able to say, ‘Yes, I went to Butte Community College, and I’m very proud of it.”

The issue seemed to strike a nerve with Starkey, who has called Cal football games since 1975. Perhaps Starkey was also bothered that Rodgers wasn’t at the Cal-Washington State game even though he was in the area for Sunday’s Green Bay-San Francisco 49ers contest.

Maybe Rodgers was busy preparing for the 49ers, but he could’ve mended some fences with the Cal fan base by making time for a quick visit at some point during the weekend to meet Cal quarterback Jared Goff — who has been compared to Rodgers by many NFL draftniks.

Rodgers doesn’t make many missteps on or off the field, but his attitude toward Cal does seem a little ridiculous. We appreciate his loyalty to Tedford, but it’s time to move on. Surely even Tedford would agree.

Next: 30 Best College Football Quarterbacks of All-Time

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