Jordan Rodgers' new sports broadcasting gig with SEC Network, which is operated by ESPN, had nothing to do with fame he's acquired from The Bachelorette, the network is insisting.
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"Our talent office had Jordan on their radar for some time," Druley noted.
"He played at Vanderbilt. He played quarterback. We had seen some interviews that he had done. So we reached out to him. At the time, he was unavailable due to filming. I'm not even sure that we knew what show he was doing."
The SEC Network broadcasts college sports for the Southeastern Conference, which includes Vanderbilt University.
Although Rodgers' popularity skyrocketed thanks to his television stint, Druley said it didn't help his chances to land the job on SEC. In fact, she said The Bachelorette almost cost Rodgers the job.
"I had a real concern with how he would be viewed by fans of the show and what it might mean for him down the line. We waited until the show was a few weeks into its run before we made an offer," Druley said.
Druley told the publication Rodgers had accepted the offer on the same day she happened to stumble across an unflattering magazine cover featuring the brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"Thankfully, the article didn't live up to the headline nor did a lot of other ones I read," Druley explained, referencing how Rodgers' intentions and background were the subject of scrutiny all season long in the press.
"And I'm certain that I read about 90 percent of what was written because I was vested in what it'd mean for the work he'd do with us. But the fact that my group had spent time with Jordan made us confident in the decision."
SEC Network's interest in Rodgers apparently dates back to the initial group of names discussed when looking for someone to fill the position.
"He walked into my office and the first thing I said to him was that his hair might be too high for our network," quipped Druley.
"Despite that, it was clear he had a real passion and a deep knowledge of college football. The audition was really good -- rare that someone walks in off the street and does an audition that we would be willing to air."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWThe Bachelorette did, however, at least make Rodgers even more comfortable in front of the lens.
"The advantage Jordan had when he sat down in front of our cameras in Charlotte was that he had just spent the past three months in front of a camera or many cameras," Druley said.
"When you combine that with the fact that he knows college football and can speak intelligently about it, it made him the right fit for us."
Rodgers got engaged to JoJo Fletcher at the end of her journey on The Bachelorette, and now he's in the middle of moving to her hometown of Dallas, TX.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
