Kenny Mayne Staying Up Late Tonight ESPN following first public comments
Kenny Mayne's final 'SportsCenter' will have Aaron Rodgers, Sue Bird, Marshawn Lynch as guests
Aaron Rodgers did not show up at the Green Bay Packers' voluntary offseason workouts on Monday at Lambeau Field.
But we do know where he is expected to be – or, almost certainly, appear virtually – Monday night.
Rodgers is slated to be one of the many sports luminaries to stop by legendary ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne's final "SportsCenter," which will air at 11 p.m. ET.
Other guests include former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, whose jaunt around Buffalo with Mayne for a segment produced some all-time clips. Then there's WNBA star and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird. Jamal Crawford is also scheduled to join the show. Fred McGriff is another former athlete expected to say farewell to Mayne.
"It's going down. Viewer discretion is advised," Mayne sarcastically tweeted last week while announcing his guests.
Mayne's 27-year run at ESPN will end with this show. In interviews earlier this month following the news of his departure, Mayne has said the company asked him to take a 61 percent pay cut.
Aaron Rodgers is one of four athletes that are set to check in with Kenny Mayne tonight starting at 10 PM. The pair have shared many memorable interview segments throughout Rodger’s career, including recently where #12 discussed his recent run as Jeopardy! guest host.
If Rodgers does indeed appear on the show, which is scheduled to start at 10 PM CT on ESPN following tonight’s St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago White Sox game, it would be his first public comments since ESPN’s Adam Schefter and other insiders made it known that he was unhappy with Green Bay’s front office in light of last year’s move to draft QB Jordan Love.
While numerous reports have been floated stating that coaches and others in management have met with Rodgers about the situation, and even more guesses as to if he’s taken his last snap as a Packer have been made- we have yet to hear from the man himself. Rodgers has issued no public comment or statement. He also hasn’t Tweeted since April 20th; more than a week before the draft day reports were made.
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It remains unclear what the pair will talk about, or if Mayne will bring up the situation directly.
Rodgers did not report Monday for the start of organized team activities, which are voluntary.
Other guests for tonight’s show include RB Marshawn Lynch, WNBA player Sue Bird, and former NBA star Jamal Crawford. Mayne Tweeted the lineup this morning, adding sarcastically “view discression is advised.”
Mayne’s quirky, dry wit and gift for storytelling have made him a favorite of ESPN viewers for nearly 30 years. He recently announced that management wanted him to take a significant pay cut to stay on the air, but he refused. Mayne later said he was a “salary cap causality” and that the network would be giving him a final send-off.
So I guess tonight’s the night. Aaron Rodgers is apparently going on TV. He is a scheduled guest on the farewell Sportscenter show for anchor Kenny Mayne on ESPN. It would be his first public appearance since reports broke on draft day that Rodgers has told people within the Packers organization that he will never play for the team again.
The program will begin at 10pm Central. That’s 11pm Eastern. I confess that’s past my usual bedtime. Is it really worth staying up to hear what he has to say?
Not for me. I’ll pass. I’m sure it will be the talk of the sports world tomorrow and the pertinent sound bites will be all over the internet. That is, if there are any pertinent sound bites. Or if there are any sound bites at all.
If this is really happening, ESPN, infamous for overhyping its product, is certainly underplaying it. Rodgers’ supposed appearance is getting little to no promotion on the air or on its website. Could it be the worldwide leader in sports has no assurance the controversial quarterback will show up? Were it not for a tweet by Mayne and a report by Adam Schefter, no one might even have learned of this.
Regardless, as with many of you, I’m weary of the whole thing. I’m ready to move past it, no matter which way it plays out. I figure one of four things will happen tonight:
1. Rodgers will confirm the reports and publicly state that he is through playing for Green Bay and wants to be traded.
2. Rodgers will say it’s all a big misunderstanding, that none of these reports came from him, and he hopes things can work out for his return to the Packers.
3. Rodgers will simply evade the topic, saying he has no comment.
Rodgers will be a no show.
Any result other than the first one tells me Rodgers intends to come back. If QB12 is truly finished with Green Bay, if he really honest and truly does not intend to return, then he has nothing to lose by stating it publicly tonight. He can shut the door on all the speculation and probably set the wheels in motion for a meaningful trade negotiation.
Doing so, however, removes his deniability for the future. As long as he does not commit publicly to leaving, he can always come back at a time of his choosing and claim none of these reports came from him. This would allow him to accept an extended contract with the future guarantees he wants, having made his point about wanting more influence, without coming off as the bad guy.
If he does return under those circumstances, his teammates won’t have a problem with it. They just want to win. Whether the fans continue to embrace him is debatable. But chances are they just want to win as well.
I’d love to see Rodgers return. I hate to see him go. But if the man doesn’t want to play here, give him his trade and let’s move on. The Packers have been great before him, and eventually, they will be great after him.
A large segment of Packer Nation will no doubt stay up late and breathlessly await his comments tonight.