Aaron Rodgers giveth, Aaron Rodgers taketh away for Green Bay Packers fans. In the first game after losing their longtime star quarterback, fans in Milwaukee were slammed by a promotion offering free drinks at a local bar when Rodgers’ new team, the New York Jets, loses.
CBS 58 in Milwaukee reported on the offer and was on the scene at Jack’s American Pub all night as Packer fans absorbed Rodgers’ injury in the first quarter, started racking up big bills, and then watched the Jets come back in absurd fashion in overtime to win.
So, uh, we were live on the air at Jack's when the Jets won, and everyone realized they weren't drinking for free after all pic.twitter.com/VCZJNGBaym
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) September 12, 2023
Rodgers left the Packers this spring after nearly two decades in Green Bay. The divorce was very public as Rodgers suffered through a poor 2022 season and clashed with management repeatedly. Watching the Jets lose was supposed to provide some degree of solace for cheese heads.
Instead, patrons of Jack’s American Pub suffered once again as Rodgers’ injury did not spell doom for New York. Now, they have to pay their tabs and deal with likely hangovers on Tuesday. Plus the embarrassment of celebrating their longtime QB’s pain.
“I have a feeling that come tomorrow morning, a lot of these folks are going to wake up unhappy about the bar tabs they have to pay, and unhappy that some of them showed up on video clapping and waving at the screen when a Packers legend got hurt,” said CBS 58 reporter A.J. Bayatpour.
Bayatpour also provided an update Tuesday morning. It seems the owner of Jack’s is considering mercy based on Rodgers’ prognosis.
I did ask the bar’s operations director last night what would happen to the offer if Rodgers is done for the year.
“We need to talk about it” was his response, so…TBD? https://t.co/I1bZSdjDpo
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) September 12, 2023
After an MRI showed Rodgers tore his Achilles and he will miss the season, the phone at Jack’s has to be ringing off the hook as Packer fans remember their allegiance to Rodgers and demand their money back.
Then they will hope the Jets lose minus Rodgers, starting in Week Two. The offer is supposedly available through Week 12 for now.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.