We didn't expect Bill Belichick to open up Wednesday on the topic of Aaron Hernandez. The New England Patriots coach surprised us by delivering a message that thoughtfully conveyed his disappointment and sadness.
We were reminded of Belichick's candor Friday, when Aaron Rodgers faced the media for the first time at Green Bay Packers camp. The subject of Ryan Braun and his performance-enhancing drug use admission is nowhere near the level of what's going on with Hernandez. Still, it's clearly an unpleasant subject for the quarterback, who acknowledged he had been misled by a close friend.
"It doesn't feel great being lied to like that, and I'm disappointed about the way it all went down," Rodgers said. "He looked me in the eye on multiple occasions and repeatedly denied these allegations and said they were not true."
Rodgers continued to answer questions about Braun until a Packers media liaison stepped in and asked reporters to move on. It wasn't something Rodgers wanted to discuss, but he knew he had to.
Bill Belichick could relate.
Everything else we learned on Friday is below. And we broke down all the biggest stories on the Around the League Podcast Friday evening, coming soon on iTunes. ...
Santonio Holmes is a huge question mark
Forget about Week 1. Santonio Holmes told reporters he's not sure he'll play at all this season. It's another reminder of the catastrophic nature of his foot injury, which required two surgeries to correct. It's fair to wonder if he'll ever be close to the same guy. Only the Jets.
The day in PED news
On the same day Rodgers addressed the mistakes of a friend, we learned that Washington Redskins defensive end Jarvis Jenkins -- an ATL Making The Leap nominee -- will be suspended four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Jenkins said he was "shocked and confused" by the news. We've heard that before.
Adrian Peterson, meanwhile, said he's certain players are using HGH today. We probably should get a test for that, huh?
Beware of the dreaded ACL monster
New York Jetscornerback Aaron Berry and San Diego Chargerslinebacker Jonas Mouton saw their seasons end before they began after they were diagnosed with torn anterior cruciate ligaments. A cruel blow for two players who were clawing for roster spots this summer.
On a more positive note, A.J. Green's knee injury turned out to be only a scare.
Bryant McKinnie was allowed to practice (Yay!)
He didn't finish. (Boo!)
A few things to watch
»Denver Broncos teammates are confident that linebacker Von Miller's four-game suspension will be lifted. An NFL source told The Denver Post that Miller did not test positive for performance-enhancing drugs or recreational drugs this year.
» Perhaps not surprisingly, Tim Tebowlooked shaky throwing the ball at Patriots practice. He lined up with the receivers and running backs as well, a possible sign of things to come. "I think that we'll use Tim wherever we feel like he's best for the team," Belichick said.
» The Jets and Arizona Cardinals are dealing with "offset" madness with cornerback Dee Milliner and guard Jonathan Cooper, respectively. Both first-round draft picks officially are holdouts.
» The Seattle Seahawks are hopeful wide receiver Percy Harvin can avoid surgery on his hip.
»Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak admitted it was a "little bit of a surprise" running back Arian Foster wasn't cleared for the start of training camp. Foster strained his calf during a spring workout.
And now, a final word from Jim Harbaugh
"I got some scars," the San Francisco 49ers coach said when asked about the hardest hit he took as a player. "Sometime I'll have you over for a barbecue and I'll strip my sleeves and show my scars. I usually do it about once a year for my neighbors. Feast my neighbors and talk about days gone by. But today's not the day. You will be included for the yearly barbecue."
As a guest or as the actual dinner?
*Check out Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, and Gregg Rosenthal break down Harvin, Holmes, and more on Friday's Around the League Podcast. *
