The way Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy sees it, the hit Aaron Rodgers took that broke his collarbone was “illegal.”
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr had chased Rodgers out of the pocket and hit the quarterback very shortly after he let the ball go.
https://twitter.com/TheRenderNFL/status/919640045564416000
While watching the game, former NFL referee Mike Pereira said it was a legal hit.
That hit on Rodgers was legal. He was out of the pocket on the run.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) October 15, 2017
However, during McCarthy’s press conference Monday when he announced Rodgers needs surgery (likely ending his season), he made it clear he thinks Barr’s hit was not legal.
Mike McCarthy's thoughts on the "illegal" hit that hurt Aaron Rodgers and how #Packers coaches are trying to turn the page. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/5oORrisHCc
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 16, 2017
There is, not surprisingly, some debate about this. Some argue Barr could have pulled up, and that he should have. Others, like New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, see it as a completely normal part of football, and that it was, indeed, totally legal.
Was Anthony Barr's hit on Aaron Rodgers dirty? @camjordan94 of the #Saints doesn't think so. pic.twitter.com/M4j3FD5dGs
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) October 16, 2017
“I saw what looked like just a typical tackle. I mean, if you’re implying anything of a negative connotation, I don’t know if I’m going to agree with you.”
When asked specifically if it was a dirty hit, Jordan said, “No, not at all.”
It’s hardly surprising that McCarthy would be upset that his quarterback — the main man for Green Bay — is likely done for the season. It’s hardly surprising that he’d see things in a negative light here.
But the undercurrent he’s laying down — that Barr’s hit was dirty — isn’t right. There’s no way McCarthy would say the same thing if Clay Matthews had knocked another team’s quarterback in exactly the same way. That’s a fact.