Florio: 🤣 SNY Hughes is Jets’ unofficial lackey / PR spin mouthpiece

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

LOL

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jets-leak-unconvincing-explanation-for-aaron-rodgerss-mandatory-minicamp-absence
 

Jets leak unconvincing explanation for Aaron Rodgers’s mandatory minicamp absence

• By
• Mike Florio

Published June 12, 2024 12:35 PM

Most teams have one or more reporters to whom they will leak self-serving explanations, whenever something controversial happens. For the Jets, one of those reporters seems to be, in my opinion, Connor Hughes of SNY.

It was Hughes who, for example, pushed the team’s narrative (albeit somewhat factually inaccurate) after Colleen Wolfe of NFL Network reported/suggested/whatever that someone witnessed an awkward and heated conversation between Jets owner Woody Johnson and Jets coach Robert Saleh at the league meetings in March. It’s Hughes who has interjected the notion that the Jets had an understanding with defensive end Haason Reddick before trading for him, and that they thought Reddick was on board with it.

And it’s Hughes who is providing a detailed explanation for the Aaron Rodgers absence from mandatory minicamp. Here’s his nothing-to-see-here post on X from this morning: “Aaron Rodgers planned this trip when he was still rehabbing. The Jets have known about it from the moment there was an overlap with the release of the minicamp schedule. Rodgers is ‘unexcused’ because you can’t excuse a trip, but not a contract dispute (Haason Reddick). Semantics, but there’s no unrest inside the building. The Jets don’t think it’s a big deal, not sure why the world is reacting differently. Rodgers missing these two days (after being at every voluntary workout the last two years) will have zero impact on what the [Jets]/Rodgers accomplish this coming season.”

The Jets might think this makes things better. It doesn’t. The version that was spoon-fed to Hughes proves what a failure of P.R. and strategic planning this was.

First, if it was known for months that Rodgers was planning a trip that might conflict with mandatory minicamp, why didn’t anyone breathe a word of it before the first day of mandatory minicamp? They should have looked at the calendar and picked the date on which Hughes or someone else would have been told that Rodgers won’t be present for mandatory minicamp.

Second, WHY DIDN’T THEY DO MANDATORY MINICAMP LAST WEEK? Sorry to scream at your eyeballs, but the Jets could have/should have worked with Rodgers to ensure that they scheduled the mandatory minicamp when he could attend. If, in the end, it was impossible to do that, that’s when they should have leaked the story that Rodgers wouldn’t be present for mandatory minicamp.

Third, players with other teams are routinely excused from mandatory minicamps. Three Packers have been excused this week. The Seahawks have excused their punter, who is getting married. Several Jaguars are excused. The Steelers excused running back Najee Harris on Tuesday.

I went down that CBA rabbit hole last night. While discipline imposed by a given team on its players must be uniform, discipline in this context isn’t even relevant unless the absence is unexcused. And if other teams are seeing fit to excuse the absence of plenty of other players not named Aaron Rodgers, the Jets easily could have excused their franchise quarterback.

This could be an example of overzealous lawyering, where someone with a J.D. laid out the well, actually argument that excusing Rodgers could make it harder to fine future players who skip mandatory minicamp. And that’s why there are moments when the executives need to thank the lawyers for their input — and then ignore it entirely.

Ultimately, the situation proves yet again one of my favorite sayings, coined by Big Cat of Pardon My Take: “Dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things.”

In this case, the Jets dysfunctioned up the whole thing.

Given that Rodgers has previously chastised the organization for the “chickensh*t” habit of the Jets leaking negative information about players to the media, it’ll be very interesting to see what he has to say about this one.

[T0mShane]

Story is ten days old and Hughes seems to have not taken the bait too much, but Florio’s premise isn’t wrong—Saleh and the Jets biffed this badly and used Hughes in a clean-up capacity. 

[Long Island Leprechaun]

6 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Story is ten days old and Hughes seems to have not taken the bait too much, but Florio’s premise isn’t wrong—Saleh and the Jets biffed this badly and used Hughes in a clean-up capacity. 

There was a time when writers would avoid attacking each other and simply go after the story itself. Florio comes off as petty and vindictive. Hughes' take appears as much interpretation as "mouthpiece" material, whether you buy it or not. Florio seems hellbent on taking down a rival while taking down the Jets. It's all so f'n petty.

[bicketybam]

So Hughes went from being a Jets "hater" to being their new spin man. That's usually how it goes depending on whether what he says agrees or disagrees with your own agenda 😅

[rangerous]

Does it really matter? Hughes got his by being the object of scorn by Florio.  Florio got his by putting some spin that brings creates controversy.  And lost in all this is the real truth about Rodgers and missing a mandatory training camp.  The story should never have gotten blown up so badly.  Saleh can’t seem to help himself much when answers questions from the press.

[UntouchableCrew]

Florio is right, of course, but it's very rare to see a "journalist" call out a peer like this.

[Matt39]

7 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Story is ten days old and Hughes seems to have not taken the bait too much, but Florio’s premise isn’t wrong—Saleh and the Jets biffed this badly and used Hughes in a clean-up capacity. 

I mean, there’s no shot Saleh knew Rodgers was going to ghost them for minicamp. 

[Matt39]

Just now, UntouchableCrew said:

Florio is right, of course, but it's very rare to see a "journalist" call out a peer like this.

Didn’t Connor recently get some rando thrown off twitter ?

[UntouchableCrew]

Just now, Matt39 said:

I mean, there’s no shot Saleh knew Rodgers was going to ghost them for minicamp. 

Regardless of when he found it seems pretty clear at this point he was pissed about it and made a point to say what he said -- and has since been reprimanded for his response.

[dbatesman]

34 minutes ago, Long Island Leprechaun said:

Florio seems hellbent on taking down a rival while taking down the Jets.

There is no universe in which Connor Hughes is a “rival” of Mike Florio’s. Florio is doing this because a.) he hates Rodgers, and b.) he has a compulsion for going HAM on piddly-sh*t stuff (see also his annual moral panic over tampering).

[mrcoops]

Hughes may well be the Jets' go-to reporter for a team-friendly line, but Florio is also a known Jets-hater and Pats* lover.

He is also a lawyer by trade, which explains his frequent, and often very dull, lengthy essays on legal stuff related to the game that no-one wants ro read.

[bicketybam]

Just now, rangerous said:

The story should never have gotten blown up so badly.

Just because of the fact that it's Aaron Rodgers,there was absolutely nothing Saleh could have said that wasn't going to turn this into a huge national story. For several reasons the guy is a lightning rod when it comes to the media. I'm not getting into what those reasons are and whether they are justified or not. I'm just saying that the media loves to key in on anything Aaron Rodgers related, especially if it can be spun in a negative light. Even if Saleh said it was an excused absence it would have been a major story. If he said nothing at all, it would still have be a major story. It's just the way it is and I don't blame Saleh for that. 

Most people here acknowledge that Rodgers missing a day and a half of practices in shorts means nothing in the grand scheme of things. If this was Dan Marino towards the end of his career, no one would give a sh*t. Or Drew Brees. But because of the media hardon for Rodgers, it becomes this big story and the fans that didn't like the trade (and even some that did hmmm) use it as a way to express their overall displeasure. 

[bicketybam]

11 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

Regardless of when he found it seems pretty clear at this point he was pissed about it and made a point to say what he said -- and has since been reprimanded for his response.

Who reprimanded him? I missed that story.

[rangerous]

2 minutes ago, bicketybam said:

Just because of the fact that it's Aaron Rodgers,there was absolutely nothing Saleh could have said that wasn't going to turn this into a huge national story. For several reasons the guy is a lightning rod when it comes to the media. I'm not getting into what those reasons are and whether they are justified or not. I'm just saying that the media loves to key in on anything Aaron Rodgers related, especially if it can be spun in a negative light. Even if Saleh said it was an excused absence it would have been a major story. If he said nothing at all, it would still have be a major story. It's just the way it is and I don't blame Saleh for that. 

Most people here acknowledge that Rodgers missing a day and a half of practices in shorts means nothing in the grand scheme of things. If this was Dan Marino towards the end of his career, no one would give a sh*t. Or Drew Brees. But because of the media hardon for Rodgers, it becomes this big story and the fans that didn't like the trade (and even some that did hmmm) use it as a way to express their overall displeasure. 

True enough. Saleh was in a box. But maybe he should’ve started off from day one like bellichicken and just grunt and roll his eyes when asked stupid questions.

[bicketybam]

2 minutes ago, rangerous said:

True enough. Saleh was in a box. But maybe he should’ve started off from day one like bellichicken and just grunt and roll his eyes when asked stupid questions.

That's just not his nature and there are very few that can do that and get away with it. Saleh definitely isn't one of them.

[T0mShane]

19 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

I mean, there’s no shot Saleh knew Rodgers was going to ghost them for minicamp. 

I think his buddy Matt LaFleur told Saleh he needs to watch out for Rodgers and Saleh chose this opportunity to draw a line in the sand, with predictably laughable results.

[bicketybam]

Just now, T0mShane said:

I think his buddy Matt LaFleur told Saleh he needs to watch out for Rodgers and Saleh chose this opportunity to draw a line in the sand, with predictably laughable results.

No one was happier about the trade for Aaron Rodgers than Robert Saleh. Whatever Matt LeFluer has to say about Rodgers, he said it to Saleh (who probably asked about Rodgers before the trade even happened) long before now. Saleh couldn't be happier to see Zach Wilson shot off to Denver and Aaron Rodgers back as the starting QB. He's probably the happiest guy in the building. 

[Matt39]

17 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I think his buddy Matt LaFleur told Saleh he needs to watch out for Rodgers and Saleh chose this opportunity to draw a line in the sand, with predictably laughable results.

There’s something snowballing here it seems like

[UntouchableCrew]

25 minutes ago, bicketybam said:

Who reprimanded him? I missed that story.

It wasn’t a story, but clearly he was told to downplay this whole thing. When Rodgers returns and slaps him on the wrist publicly that will he reinforced. 

[T0mShane]

1 minute ago, bicketybam said:

No one was happier about the trade for Aaron Rodgers than Robert Saleh. Whatever Matt LeFluer has to say about Rodgers, he said it to Saleh (who probably asked about Rodgers before the trade even happened) long before now. Saleh couldn't be happier to see Zach Wilson shot off to Denver and Aaron Rodgers back as the starting QB. He's probably the happiest guy in the building. 

I think Saleh is conflict-averse and struggles to assert discipline as a result, which leads him into these petty little cold wars with players like Becton and Moore when guys like that should be slapped into the Phantom Zone from the outset. This is a common issue for trendy assistants who move into the big chair. 

[FidelioJet]

27 minutes ago, bicketybam said:

Just because of the fact that it's Aaron Rodgers,there was absolutely nothing Saleh could have said that wasn't going to turn this into a huge national story. For several reasons the guy is a lightning rod when it comes to the media. I'm not getting into what those reasons are and whether they are justified or not. I'm just saying that the media loves to key in on anything Aaron Rodgers related, especially if it can be spun in a negative light. Even if Saleh said it was an excused absence it would have been a major story. If he said nothing at all, it would still have be a major story. It's just the way it is and I don't blame Saleh for that. 

Most people here acknowledge that Rodgers missing a day and a half of practices in shorts means nothing in the grand scheme of things. If this was Dan Marino towards the end of his career, no one would give a sh*t. Or Drew Brees. But because of the media hardon for Rodgers, it becomes this big story and the fans that didn't like the trade (and even some that did hmmm) use it as a way to express their overall displeasure. 

The Jets absolutely could have handled this in a way to make it a non-story.   Knowing the media is always on the look out for a good Rodgers story they should have been far better prepared.  A well thought through answer would have immediately defused it - they muffed it.   This is PR/Management 101 kind of stuff.  Absolute own goal.

As you said, him missing the time isn't a big deal at all.  Seeing, once again, how poorly this organization is managed is the far bigger issue and really should be a concern for all Jet fans.

[bicketybam]

11 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

It wasn’t a story, but clearly he was told to downplay this whole thing. When Rodgers returns and slaps him on the wrist publicly that will he reinforced. 

[bicketybam]

5 minutes ago, FidelioJet said:

The Jets absolutely could have handled this in a way to make it a non-story.   Knowing the media is always on the look out for a good Rodgers story they should have been far better prepared.  A well thought through answer would have immediately defused it - they muffed it.   This is PR/Management 101 kind of stuff.  Absolute own goal.

As you said, him missing the time isn't a big deal at all.  Seeing, once again, how poorly this organization is managed is the far bigger issue and really should be a concern for all Jet fans.

I couldn't disagree more. Rodgers was going to get hammered for missing the day and a half no matter what. 

[UntouchableCrew]

50 minutes ago, bicketybam said:

I know your whole schtick is just white knighting for Rodgers and the Jets org but in all seriousness — do you think Saleh meant to say what he said? Do you think the Jets org was annoyed with Saleh for what he said? Do you think Rodgers has more sway in the org than Saleh?

[Matt39]

1 hour ago, FidelioJet said:

The Jets absolutely could have handled this in a way to make it a non-story.   Knowing the media is always on the look out for a good Rodgers story they should have been far better prepared.  A well thought through answer would have immediately defused it - they muffed it.   This is PR/Management 101 kind of stuff.  Absolute own goal.

As you said, him missing the time isn't a big deal at all.  Seeing, once again, how poorly this organization is managed is the far bigger issue and really should be a concern for all Jet fans.

The way you handle this is by communicating to everyone at OTAs that Rodgers will be elsewhere for the 2 days of mini camp and it’s been addressed with the entire team. We will see him for camp. 

[bicketybam]

40 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

I know your whole schtick is just white knighting for Rodgers and the Jets org but in all seriousness — do you think Saleh meant to say what he said? Do you think the Jets org was annoyed with Saleh for what he said? Do you think Rodgers has more sway in the org than Saleh?

It's not schtick and I've been plenty critical of the Jets organization. Stop with that nonsense.

Do I think Saleh meant to say what he said? I guess? Rodgers wasn't there, it wasn't an excused absence (he would have been pushed for a response if he didn't clarify) and the organization knew about it ahead of time. That's what he said.

I don't think the Jets organization was annoyed with Saleh for answering questions that were asked. And I don't think Rodgers has more control of the team than the head coach. Not sure what else to tell you.

[bicketybam]

52 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

The way you handle this is by communicating to everyone at OTAs that Rodgers will be elsewhere for the 2 days of mini camp and it’s been addressed with the entire team. We will see him for camp. 

How does that change anything? The reports say "Oh ok. That's cool?" No one asks where he's going to be? No one asks if it's an excused absence? 

[Mogglez]

- The Colleen Wolfe story was completely wrong and anyone with a quarter of a brain could have figured that out without the entire Jets beat, not just Connor Hughes, telling them that.  The only buffoons who actually believed that nonsense were people who wanted it to be true, self-loathing Jets fans included.

- The Jets did know about Rodgers trip and Hughes is actually correct.  Idk if Saleh is actually pissed he went through with it, but the whole organization knew well in advance.  The Jets went about it the stupid way and decided to let everyone external know the day of the first practice, not ahead of time.  Most, if not all, of the players found out on Media Day and could not possibly care any less.  Every man in that locker room loves and respects the sh*t out of Aaron, he goes out of his way to spend a ton of time with him off the field, and they believe that he should do whatever he wants to get himself ready for Training Camp.  He attended every single voluntary OTA and all of the workouts, and that meant more to them than two more practices that are, basically, the same thing.  This is a case of the Jets being the Jets when it comes to their PR.  Nothing more; nothing less.

-  Mike Florio is the most pathetic little piss-baby in sports journalism, and Connor Hughes is a very close 1B, especially after he doxxed someone on Twitter (RIP Tony Vegas) for doing his job better than him during the offseason.  They deserve to fight with one another.

[bicketybam]

14 minutes ago, Mogglez said:

- The Colleen Wolfe story was completely wrong and anyone with a quarter of a brain could have figured that out without the entire Jets beat, not just Connor Hughes, telling them that.  The only buffoons who actually believed that nonsense were people who wanted it to be true, self-loathing Jets fans included.

- The Jets did know about Rodgers trip and Hughes is actually correct.  Idk if Saleh is actually pissed he went through with it, but the whole organization knew well in advance.  The Jets went about it the stupid way and decided to let everyone external know the day of the first practice, not ahead of time.  Most, if not all, of the players found out on Media Day and could not possibly care any less.  Every man in that locker room loves and respects the sh*t out of Aaron, he goes out of his way to spend a ton of time with him off the field, and they believe that he should do whatever he wants to get himself ready for Training Camp.  He attended every single voluntary OTA and all of the workouts, and that meant more to them than two more practices that are, basically, the same thing.  This is a case of the Jets being the Jets when it comes to their PR.  Nothing more; nothing less.

-  Mike Florio is the most pathetic little piss-baby in sports journalism, and Connor Hughes is a very close 1B, especially after he doxxed someone on Twitter (RIP Tony Vegas) for doing his job better than him during the offseason.  They deserve to fight with one another.

Was Tony Vegas a Jets employee? I missed where Hughes doxxed him.

[Rich Thornburgh]

3 hours ago, UntouchableCrew said:

Florio is right, of course, but it's very rare to see a "journalist" call out a peer like this.

Hack on Hack Crime.

[Rich Thornburgh]

1 hour ago, Matt39 said:

The way you handle this is by communicating to everyone at OTAs that Rodgers will be elsewhere for the 2 days of mini camp and it’s been addressed with the entire team. We will see him for camp. 

The Jets FO and coaching staff were just as surprised as everyone else when Rodgers went AWOL.  Something is going on here they aren’t telling us.  I think Rodgers is 50/50 on playing next season 

[Matt39]

1 hour ago, bicketybam said:

How does that change anything? The reports say "Oh ok. That's cool?" No one asks where he's going to be? No one asks if it's an excused absence? 

It would change Saleh looking stunned that his QB was not present 

[The Crusher]

8 minutes ago, Rich Thornburgh said:

The Jets FO and coaching staff were just as surprised as everyone else when Rodgers went AWOL.  Something is going on here they aren’t telling us.  I think Rodgers is 50/50 on playing next season 

LOL

[bicketybam]

16 minutes ago, Rich Thornburgh said:

The Jets FO and coaching staff were just as surprised as everyone else when Rodgers went AWOL.  Something is going on here they aren’t telling us.  I think Rodgers is 50/50 on playing next season 

I don't believe this to be true, Phil. Do you really think Rodgers just walked up to the Jets on that Monday and said I'm off on vacation? I'd like to think you don't believe this but I'm really not so sure. You have posted constantly that Zach Wilson would be back with the Jets this year starting games. And not just once or two .You've made that claim consistently. So who knows what truly goes through that mind of yours. But I would bet my net worth that the Jets knew ahead of time about Rodgers' itinerary.

[bicketybam]

13 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

It would change Saleh looking stunned that his QB was not present 

I'll have to reach the press conference. I didn't realize he looked stunned 😳