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Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is now a doctor

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Critics of Aaron Rodgers say he acts like he’s the smartest guy in the room.

Confidence, it seems, has never been a problem for the Packers quarterback.

In the Jeff Pearlman book “Gunslinger,’ former Packers running back Najeh Davenport said even when Rodgers joined the team as a rookie, his cockiness was obvious.

“Somebody must have told Aaron he was brought in to replace Brett (Favre), because that’s how he acted,” Davenport said. “Maybe his agent or someone convinced him he was important, but he walked around like he was the next best thing.”

If Rodgers’ self-assurance was evident back then, we can only imagine what it’s going to be like now that he’s a doctor.

The Medical College of Wisconsin bestowed an honorary doctorate of humanities on Rodgers this week, thanks to his tireless efforts to fight childhood cancer.

Over the years, the All-Pro quarterback has raised nearly $3 million for cancer research, which made the honor an easy choice.

“When conferring an honorary degree, we honor those individuals in our community who have embraced our ideals and have dedicated a substantial portion of their lives to bettering the world around them,” said Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr., president and chief operating officer of the school, per WISN.

Do you consider Aaron Rodgers to be the best quarterback in football?

Rodgers’ involvement in charity work stems from an experience he had back when he was still in college.

“I was able to get to know a young kid with leukemia when I was in junior college and he had a big impact on me,” Rodgers told the Green Bay Gazette in October 2015. “Learning about the stuff he had to go through: weekly checkups and getting his blood drawn, chemotherapy, how it affects families. That had a big impact on me to where I felt if I had the opportunity to use my platform to make a difference for kids, that’s something I really wanted to do.”

Getting to meet a superstar quarterback can be a major highlight for a kid who’s fighting cancer.

“I try to remember the things that I see I their eyes, and their hearts.” Rodgers said. “It gives you great perspective. It reminds you to really enjoy life because these kids have been through so much and they have such joy for the opportunity to live, and to dream, and to have goals. That’s been one of the roots of my involvement, is trying to let these kids have an opportunity to live a normal life as a 10-, 12-, 14-year-old kid, and have dreams like I did when I was young.”

This wraps up a pretty eventful week for number 12; his girlfriend, Danica Patrick, crashed Sunday in her last Indy 500, though she was uninjured.

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Rodgers, of course, played in just seven games last season. He suffered a broken collarbone, and watched the Packers miss the playoffs because of it.

We know this is an honorary degree, but maybe Rodgers will be healthier … now that he’s a doctor.

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Mike is an 11-time Michigan Emmy Award winner who has spent nearly 30 years working in sports media.
Mike has spent nearly 30 years in all aspects of sports media, including on-air, 10 at ESPN and another 10 at Fox Sports Detroit. He now works as a TV agent, and lives with his family in West Bloomfield, MI.
Birthplace
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Honors/Awards
11-time Michigan Emmy winner
Education
Emerson College
Books Written
The Longest Year: One Family's Journey Of Life, Death, And Love/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Tigers/If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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