New York Jets fans have enjoyed seeing their favorite team featured on HBO’s popular documentary series Hard Knocks this summer. But at least one player who shares the Big Apple with Gang Green isn’t as pleased with the show.
New York Giants defensive end Jihad Ward did not appreciate the way his interaction with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was portrayed during this week’s episode.
The Jets and Giants met last Saturday in the final week of the preseason. Rodgers, making his Jets debut, was mic’d up and shown chirping at Ward throughout the game. Ward hit Rodgers late after a throw, and officials then had to separate the two players. Trash talk ensued. After Rodgers threw a 14-yard touchdown, the four-time MVP made sure the 29-year-old pass rusher heard about it.
“Don’t poke the bear, bro,” Rodgers said. “I’ve never heard of you.”
Ward addressed the situation after Giants practice on Wednesday. The eighth-year defensive end said after the game that he wanted to wait to see what Rodgers said on Hard Knocks before providing his thoughts.
After the show aired on Tuesday, Ward was not happy with how it was cut.
“See, the thing is, they’re going to entertain,” Ward said, according to ESPN. “They’re going to show his part—HBO, whatever stuff is going on, Hard Knocks. They’re going to show his part. They weren’t even in the whole scenario of what really went down. They’re going to show his side of the story.”
Ward went on: “It’s all about Aaron Rodgers at the [end] of the day. They sign him, it is what it is. They’re going to show his part and make me look like a sucker. But I ain’t going for that.”
Elsa/Getty
What Led to Rodgers-Ward Confrontation?
The drama on Hard Knocks stems from a blindside block by Jets wide receiver Randall Cobb earlier in Saturday’s game that left Giants safety Bobby McCain concussed.
Jets players had some playful banter in the huddle after the play.
“What are you doing, bro?” Rodgers said before referencing recent rule changes surrounding blindside blocks. “This ain’t 2014.”
“I forgot, I forgot,” Cobb said. “I blacked out. I ain’t been able to hit nobody in a while.”
McCain was in concussion protocol this week after the hit. Cobb’s wife, Aiyda, was shown in the stands saying she thought it was a great block but added that they would “probably get a fine in the mail here soon.” Ward said he saw Jets players seemingly laughing the hit off. The Giants defense did not appreciate that.
In an effort to stand up for his teammates, Ward lightly pushed Rodgers after a first-quarter play, which led to the verbal confrontation.
“Everybody going to get pissed off at that,” Ward said, according to ESPN. “The whole team was pissed off, you know what I’m saying? It’s preseason and all that stuff and you’re going to do some reaction like that?… It’s cool, though. That’s how they roll. I think we play them soon, it is what it is.
“My side of the story is I’m not going to let none of my teammates be backed down like that. I’m going to ride for my teammates,” he said.
When Do Jets and Giants Play Again?
The Jets and Giants will face off again at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which Rodgers referred to as JetLife Stadium on Hard Knocks, on October 29.
If the preseason finale was any indication, there could be some tension during the Week 8 matchup. Rodgers said after Saturday’s game that the laughing in the Jets huddle was not aimed at McCain’s injury or the Giants. Rather, the 39-year-old QB and his teammates were surprised that Cobb, entering his 13th season, would commit an illegal block.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rodgers said, according to NFL.com. “I’ve been around Randall Cobb forever. We talk about smart players and doing smart things on the field. I don’t know what was in that. I was watching that in slow motion going, ‘No, no, no, Cobby, what are you doing?’ We were laughing because that wasn’t a penalty when we started playing. It has been a penalty for a while. So not the smartest play.”
He went on: “I said, ‘Bro, you’ve got a third kid on the way. You just took money out of your pocket. You’re going to have to buy [your wife] Aiyda something nice for that.'”