There have been plenty of people unhappy about the way 60 Minutes has covered them over the years.
You can add Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the list. Rodgers was the subject of a lengthy profile last Sunday night, one of the most extended looks we’ve gotten into a player whose accomplishments (Super Bowl ring, commercial endorsements) usually lead to more pieces like the one on CBS. Rodgers said that he wasn’t happy that the segment focused on perceived slights (Rodgers discussed a letter he got from Purdue letting him know he wasn’t being considered for a scholarship) and his personality (Greg Jennings said teammates were careful saying certain things around Rodgers because of how much he took them to heart) instead of his charity work.
Rodgers said cameras followed him to an event for the MACC Fund, a charity working to help children with cancer, but none of the footage wound up in the piece.
“To be honest, I was really surprised. It’s always interesting to see how (a piece like that) comes out. I just felt like the editing of the piece could have been done in a way that was maybe a lot more respectful of myself,” Rodgers said, via ESPNMilwaukee.com. “For them to not even show really any of the content from that night, any of the kids, not say anything about the MACC Fund (or) what they do with kids with cancer, I think that was the thing that was most disappointing about the piece. They had an opportunity to do some great things and really show some things that I’m passionate about, and they didn’t do that.”
The issue would seem to be one of intent. The show wanted to profile one of the best players in the NFL and took an approach that tried to show the things that had driven him to that position. Rodgers wanted to show off things that the producers found less enticing, which is a risk you run in such situations. Nothing about it felt disrespectful of Rodgers, though, and the result was a more complete picture than many people had before watching the profile.
