Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has admitted that he was unhappy at being told he couldn't play in last Sunday's match against the Dallas Cowboys.
Rodgers was ruled out for the sixth game in a row after scans showed that the broken collarbone he suffered against the Chicago Bears on November 4 had not sufficiently healed despite his return to practice that week.
The Packers went on to stage an incredible comeback in the second half, overturning a 23-point deficit to beat the Cowboys 37-36, but Rodgers insists that the nature of the match will not affect his own preparations for this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers if he is deemed fit enough to return.
"I don't think it really influences my thought process any more than playing last week and wanting to be out there last week did," Rodgers told ESPN.
"I felt good in practice, and a decision was made about my status that was made collectively but more on an organizational level, which I understood. Doesn't mean I was happy about it, but understood."
Rodgers will undergo an evaluation to determine his fitness later today, with the Packers needing to win their remaining two games to finish top of the NFC North.