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sweet interactions. And when it’s a little awkward, it’s alright. You don’t worry about it. Because people are just trying to live their best lives along the way, and I’m not going to worry about any of that stuff. You hope that people have the tact in those situations to let you enjoy Zion National Park or hiking in Hawaii or whatever it might be. But you can’t control other people’s actions; you can only control your reactions. MT: WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SOMETHING REALLY INTIMATE IN YOUR LIFE, WHO ASK, “DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR BROTHER? DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?” WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO DIG IN? AR: Mind your own business. Anybody who knows me… Anybody in my inner circle knows there aren’t any topics that are off-limits. But there are some things better left unsaid with people who don’t need to know. MT: WHAT SIDE OF YOU DO YOU THINK IS MISUNDERSTOOD THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND?
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Artful Living
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Magazine of the North
MT: HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK ABOUT LEGACY? AR: A lot. And anybody who tells you they don’t is lying. But when you play in Green Bay, legacy means something different. Because you look around the stadium and you see Bart Starr, Reggie White, Don Hutson, Tony Canadeo, Jerry Kramer, Dave Robinson, Willie Davis, Jim Taylor and all these legends who’ve played here, and you realize you have the opportunity to be part of a very elite group. The Super Bowl trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy. We go to work on Lombardi Avenue every single day. Mike McCarthy has Mike McCarthy Way over here. Mike Holmgren has Holmgren Way, which is one of most important streets in Ashwaubenon other than Oneida Street. You have the opportunity to go down in history in Green Bay and in this league if you do things the right way. To me, that’s what legacy is all about. It’s how will you be remembered as a player, as a teammate and as a member of this community. MT: THAT’S AMAZING. YOU HAVE A HOME IN SAN DIEGO AND YOU SOMETIMES RENT IN LOS ANGELES. IF I WERE TO ASK YOU WHERE HOME IS, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? AR: Green Bay. Award-winning sportscaster Michele Tafoya is the sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football and a cohost of the KQ Morning Show. A California native, she now calls Edina home.
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY NBC SPORTS
AR: I think that mystery is part of the allure. I’ve been working the past couple years with this stuff — just caring less about being reserved and private, and not worrying about the repercussions of something I say. I realize when I stand up in the locker room, something will probably make some sort of headline. And that’s just part of it, because people are interested in the things I’m saying. When you tell the truth, it’s always easy to have your story straight. You don’t need to use unnamed sources or try to plant stories or anything weird like that. I just answer questions as honestly and as appropriately as possible, and I’m not holding onto anything that I feel needs to be said. I let my teammates talk about my leadership style and how I am as a teammate. And other people who aren’t here — their opinions don’t matter. I don’t need to respond to every comment that’s made about me on TV, on radio shows, on podcasts. There was a time when a lot of people were taking shots at me. And I remember thinking, “Do I need to defend myself, get somebody to write an article about me?” But I just had a peace that none of that really matters.
Because when you’re consistent, you don’t have to try hard to let your personality show. I just stood up there and said, “We’re going to run the table,” and we won eight games in a row. That, if anything, depicts what I’m all about from a personality standpoint and a leadership standpoint and a confidence standpoint. Not that interview when there was a shit storm of ridiculousness being put out there by people whose opinions don’t even matter. If my life isn’t connected to them, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t have to respond to any of them. But I did with my play and my leadership and my consistency in the locker room. That is all you need to know about me.