Jordan Rodgers' New Sports Gig Has Nothing to Do With His Bachelorette Fame, Says ESPN Vice President

"He had been on our radar before the show, he didn't need the show to get our attention," Stephanie Druley says

The ESPN Vice President has something to say to those who are criticizing the network's decision to add Jordan Rodgers to their roster.

Fans became skeptical when hearing of the former NFL player and new Bachelorette winner's gig, where he will take on the role of a college football analyst this season for the SEC Network, because many believed that Rodgers earned the job because of his new-found fame from the reality show (which also feeds into the belief some viewers had about Rodgers' true purpose on the show).

However, Senior V.P. Stephanie Druley told Sports Illustrated that's not the case. "He had been on our radar before the show, he didn't need the show to get our attention. In fact, 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," she explained.

"We waited until the show was a few weeks into its run before we made an offer. He accepted the offer the day I was in an airport and saw US Weekly with him splashed across the cover."

Druley continued, "Thankfully, the article didn't live up to the headline nor did a lot of other ones I read, 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."

As for what sparked interest in Rodgers from the get-go, Druley credits it to sheer talent in front of the camera and knowledge on the subject. "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.

"When he became available, he came to Charlotte. He walked into my office and the first thing I said to him [jokingly] was that his hair might be too high for our network. 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."

Rodgers' first day on the job is slated for Aug. 23 on SEC Network's sports news and information show, SEC Now.

"I've spent the summer studying in preparation for the football season," Rodgers reportedly said. "Part of the job is based on personal experience, but knowing the rosters, stats and dynamics of 14 teams and their opponents every week is the work aspect."

Despite choosing Rodgers strictly on his ability, Druley can't deny the fact that filming for the Bachelorette also helped the athlete execute his audition.

"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. I think that's the advantage it gave him. 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."