America's most famous toe is back in the news this week as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has accused his team's coaching staff of leaking news to reporters about his injured digit.
On Tuesday, during his regular weekly interview with Sirius XM's Pat McAfee, Rodgers addressed various reports that his fractured toe might need surgery.
'With these reports – I don't know where they're coming from,' Rodgers said. 'I don't know who's talking. It seems like there are certain coaches that may have friends in the media that they don't realize are actually just trying to report things.'
McAfee's co-host, former Packers linebacker AJ Hawk, chimed in, asking: 'Guys on the Green Bay staff, you're saying?'
Rodgers responded: 'There were guys for a while who had their people who they would leak stuff to.'
He did not specifically call out Packers head coach Matt LeFleur or any member of the Green Bay staff.
Rodgers told McAfee that he is not currently expecting have toe surgery. If he does have a 'minor' procedure, he said, it wouldn't require him to miss any games.
Green Bay is entering its bye week, so the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player can rest his ailing foot.
The injury became national news last week when Rodgers first said the issue was 'COVID toe' following his early-November bout with coronavirus. The next day, he revealed that he wasn't being serious and that the toe was really fractured.
Rodgers (center) claimed to Pat McAfee (left) and former teammate AJ Hawk (right) that current Packers coaches may be leaking information about his injured toe to reporters
Rodgers is not currently expected to have toe surgery and Green Bay is entering its bye week, so the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player can rest his ailing foot
'No lingering effects other than the Covid toe,' Rodgers told McAfee last week when the radio host asked about his recent bout with COVID-19.
Although he did chuckle, Rodgers did not explain that he was joking by saying 'COVID toe,' which is a real condition typically involving skin lesions.
During a video press conference with reporters on November 24, however, the embattled quarterback revealed that he actually has a fractured toe, and not any lesions that are associated with COVID toe, or pernio, as it is also known.
To prove his point, Rodgers showed his bare foot to the camera while blaming the media for reporting his 'COVID toe' comment. Reports of Rodgers' 'COVID toe' first surfaced in The Wall Street Journal, which he seemed to reference in his November 24 press conference.
'I mentioned yesterday that it's worse than turf toe and it must be a bone issue,' he said, as quoted by Pro Football Talk. 'I can't believe I have to come on here and talk about my medical information — but yeah, I have a fractured toe.
'I've never heard of COVID toe before,' he continued. 'I have no lesions on my feet. It's just a classic case of disinformation. It's surprising coming from what used to be a reputable journalistic institution. But that's the world we live in these days.'
Aaron Rodgers proved he does not have any lesions on his toes by revealing his foot on camera
Rodgers was reportedly at odds with members of the Packers front office leading up to this season and actually skipped mandatory minicamp before both sides agreed to a new restructured contract.
As reported by ESPN, the Packers adjusted Rodgers's contract to give the team more cap room without docking him any of his $21 million salary for the 2021 season.
The agreement voided the final year (2023) of Rodgers's deal and has terms in place that allowing him to leave after this season.
There had been a growing belief that Rodgers would retire rather than return to the Packers. Rodgers made cryptic comments before the 2020 NFC title game, saying his future is a
