Notebook: Rodgers disputes 'Grandpa' account

GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t be specific, but he said Wednesday an excerpt about the relationship between him and Brett Favre from Jeff Pearlman’s book “Gunslinger” was “sensationalized”.

The excerpt Rodgers is referring to included stories in which he reportedly called Favre “Grandpa” in their first face-to-face meeting, asked Favre what his Wonderlic score was and was admonished for being too cocky by receiver Donald Driver.

“I’ll just say this: The first time I met Brett was on the practice field, and I could barely get a sentence out of ‘Hello, my name is Aaron,’” Rodgers said. “Did I call him 'Grandpa' at any time during the three years together? Probably.

“But it’s in the same joking way that my man Brett Hundley called me 'Grandpa' three weeks ago on the field when we were doing a competitive drill.

“The story that was out there that I saw is completely 100 percent false, and I would dare anybody to test my memory on that. You guys know how my memory works. The end.”

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Pearlman said he stands by his reporting.

"I am 100 percent confident in my reporting on this," the author said Wednesday. "Furthermore, I never said his usage of the term "grandpa" wasn't joking. What I wrote — and what is reality — is that it wasn't received as such. Imagine having a rookie — the player brought in specifically to ultimately take your job — refer to you as "grandpa"? This wasn't Brett Hundley — a fifth-round pick— saying it to Rodgers; it was a cocky, tone-deaf, poorly received first-rounder saying it to an aging veteran whose job he would inevitably take.

"I also would like to note that I spoke with Aaron in person at last year's American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. I introduced myself, he said he knew who I was and that I should call a specific contact and he would definitely sit down for an interview. I did as told, twice, and never heard back. I've got no beef with Aaron Rodgers. He seems like a great guy. But he's off here."

Surgerydone: Running back Eddie Lacy posted a photo on Instagram Wednesday morning in which he was in a hospital gown with a smile on his face and two fingers held up.

Lacy was due to have ankle surgery in Charlotte and posted this message with the photo: “Prayers up fa (sic) the kid. I’ll be back.”

Robert Anderson, a Wauwatosa native, was expected to perform the surgery. Lacy was placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season if the Packers don’t use their one “designated to return” option on him.

Injury report: Linebacker Clay Matthews reinjured his hamstring late in the Chicago Bears game last Thursday and is a question mark for the Atlanta game.

Matthews attended practice but just worked out on a stationary bike. He was listed as “did not participate” on the injury report. The injury has bothered Matthews for several weeks but he thought he was past it after the bye week.

Matthews has had hamstring problems and missed one game this year.

Cornerback Quinten Rollins (groin) also didn’t participate. He’s looking like a long shot to play this weekend.

Receiver Randall Cobb (hamstring) showed up on the injury report. He was a limited participant. Ty Montgomery was limited because of illness.

Extra classroom work: Running back Don Jackson is an undrafted rookie and gets paid a fraction of the money Rodgers does, but he said he felt no hesitation asking him Saturday if he could come to his hotel room and go over some of the game plan for the Chicago Bears.

“I was like, ‘Do you have time to go meet?’” Jackson said. “I’m a rookie and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I should ask him,’ but I was like, ‘No, I’m going to ask him.’ I wanted to be prepared and he wants us to prepare.

“He said, ‘Yeah, c’mon across to the room, let’s talk it all out.’”

Jackson said they talked about pass protection, the running game, signals, defense and other things. Montgomery, who was preparing to share backfield duties with Jackson, also took part in the meeting.

As it turned out, Jackson played sparingly because he injured his left hand. He was a full participant in practice Wednesday despite some swelling and a pad he had to wear over the top of his hand.

Roster move: The Packers signed center Jacob Flores to the practice squad. Flores, an undrafted rookie free agent, was in training camp with the Packers, but was cut on Aug. 30.

Josh Walker, who spent the 2015 season with the Packers and worked out in Green Bay Monday, was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad.