Mark Chmura blames Aaron Rodgers’ ‘prima donna’ act for Mike McCarthy firing
A Packers great is blaming star quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the firing of Mike McCarthy.
Former Packers tight end Mark Chmura came down on Rodgers for his actions leading up to McCarthy’s firing on Sunday night, calling Rodgers a “prima donna,” among other critical comments.
“Aaron’s not going to come out of this looking good. Aaron might be happy, but Aaron, to me, looks like the prima donna basketball player in the NBA that wants his coach fired,” Chmura said in an interview with ESPN Sunday.
“There were rumblings last week — cause I listen to a lot of the national media — that were saying Aaron Rodgers is difficult to coach, whether that’s because he’s smart or whatever the case may be. He might be happy, but I don’t think he comes out of this looking good. He got his coach fired.”
Rodgers has taken veiled shots at McCarthy through the years, including this year through the press.
After the Packers’ 22-0 win against the Bills in September, Rodgers trashed the team’s play-calling after some of his receivers weren’t seeing as many looks as they should be.
“It’s by the plan,” Rodgers said, before saying that it’s not “acceptable offense for us.”
Those offensive struggles have largely marred the Packers this season and extended to Sunday’s stunning loss to the Cardinals, which turned out to be McCarthy’s last game. Green Bay miserably managed two touchdowns and lost to a team that entered with a 2-9 record.
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“That team quit. They quit. They didn’t even want to play today,” Chmura, who played alongside Brett Favre for the entirety of his eight-year career, said via WTMJ.com. “This was, as long as I can remember, the most embarrassing loss the Packers have had since I’ve been a part of the organization and followed them.”
Team president Mark Murphy said Rodgers wasn’t responsible for McCarthy’s firing and he won’t have a word on the impending coaching search.
“Obviously, he’s free to provide input and talk to us,” Murphy said of Rodgers. “But he’s not going to be a part of the process. … The other thing I would say, Aaron was no part at all in the decision to move on from Mike.”
McCarthy coached the Packers for 13 seasons, which included a Super Bowl in 2010.
