A timeline of Aaron Rodgers’ recent controversies
Aaron Rodgers’ career could have been over in September 2023 when he suffered a season-ending left Achilles tear.
But the New York Jets quarterback, 41, wasn’t done with football. He fought his way back to the field throughout an intense year of surgery and rehab, which accompanied a spiritual transformation.
A new Netflix documentary, “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,” follows the Hall of Famer as he prepares to return to the field after his catastrophic injury.
The three-part docuseries also explores Rodgers’ life outside football, including his controversial stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Rodgers has become a polarizing figure in the NFL, making headlines for various views and comments in recent years — such as his statements about Jimmy Kimmel and Jeffrey Epstein, and his connection to anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Keep reading for a timeline of recent controversies involving Aaron Rodgers.
2016: Family estrangement reaches the spotlight on ‘The Bachelorette’
Aaron Rodgers’ younger brother, Jordan Rodgers, was a cast member on the 2016 season of “The Bachelorette,” ultimately winning and marrying JoJo Fletcher in 2022.
The Rodgers’ family internal tension reached a national spotlight when Fletcher visited the family’s Chico, California home in the hometown visit episode.
Jordan Rodgers and his brother Luke both said they were not close to Aaron Rodgers.
“I have a great relationship with my brother Luke,” Jordan Rodgers said in the episode. “Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship. It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life, and I chose to stay close to my family and my parents and my brother and, yeah, it’s not ideal. And I love him.”
The camera, during dinner, zoomed in on two empty chairs. When Aaron Rodgers finally addressed the incident head-on eight years later, in his Netflix documentary, that’s the image he referenced.
“They go on a bull—- show and leave two empty chairs,” Rodgers said in the documentary. “They all agreed this was a good thing to do, to leave two empty chairs on a stupid dating show, that my brother went on just to get famous. His words, not mine.”
He said he wasn’t invited to the dinner — “not that I would’ve gone,” he said.
Aaron Rodgers’ father Ed Rodgers confirmed to the New York Times that the rift began in 2014. Aaron Rodgers, in the documentary, said he began to feel “separation” from his family in high school due to their value system and what he called rigid religious beliefs.
“I grew up in a very white, dogmatic church and that just really didn’t serve me,” Aaron Rodgers said. “It was very rigid in structure; I’m not a rigid person.”
He said he is open to reconciliation in the documentary. “I don’t want them to fail, to struggle, to have any strife or issues. I don’t wish any ill will on them at all,” he said. “We’re just different steps on the timeline of our own journeys.”
August 2021: Rodgers says he is ‘immunized’ against COVID-19
Speaking to reporters on Aug. 26, 2021, Rodgers appeared to imply he had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Are you vaccinated, and what’s your stance on vaccinations?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, I’ve been immunized,” Rodgers replied. “You know, there’s a lot of conversation around it, around the league … There’s guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated. I think it’s a personal decision, I’m not going to judge those guys.”
November 2021: Rodgers contracts COVID-19, confirms he is unvaccinated
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 3, 2021, meaning he would have to spend at least 10 days sidelined from his team at the time, the Green Bay Packers.
Though Rodgers had said that summer he was “immunized,” he had not actually received a COVID-19 vaccine, the NFL Network reported.
Rodgers had reportedly sought a vaccine exemption from the league’s COVID-19 protocols, arguing that he had received treatment from a homeopathic doctor to raise his antibody levels. This exemption was denied and Rodgers was classified as unvaccinated, according to the NFL.
Rodgers confirmed he was unvaccinatedon Nov. 5 and revealed he had taken ivermectin, a drug intended to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms.
Ivermectin was once touted by some commentators as an effective COVID-19 remedy, but the Food and Drug Administration says it has “not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals.”
After facing criticism for not being vaccinated, Rodgers said he has an “allergy to an ingredient that’s in the mRNA vaccines,” he said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Sirius XM on Nov. 5.
He also said he felt he was in “the crosshairs of the woke mob.”
“So before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies,” he said.
Rodgers also addressed why he said in August that he had been “immunized,” saying he had not meant to mislead anyone.
“I wanted it to go away,” he said. “Everyone on the squad knew I was not vaccinated. Everyone in the organization knew I wasn’t vaccinated. I wasn’t hiding from anybody. I was trying to minimize and mitigate having this conversation going on and on.”
November 2021: Rodgers fined by NFL, loses health-related sponsor
On Nov. 9, 2021, the NFL fined Rodgers $14,650 for attending a Halloween event while unvaccinated, NBC News reported.
In the wake of his vaccine controversy, Rodgers also lost a longtime sponsorship deal with a Wisconsin-based healthcare organization, Prevea Health.
On Nov. 6, Prevea Health announced on X that they had parted ways with Rodgers.
“Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” the company said in their statement. “This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.”
Another longtime sponsor of Rodgers, State Farm, appeared to commented on his vaccine views but did not end their partnership.
“Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade,” a State Farm spokeswoman said in a statement to Sportico on Nov. 8. “We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view.”
Rodgers’ partnership with State Farm ended in 2023, NBC News reported.
May 2022: Rodgers says he turned down invitation to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate
Rodgers has drawn attention for his connection to anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was picked by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy is known for sharing misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, including propagating the false claim that vaccines are linked to autism.
Rodgers and Kennedy have appeared on social media together and in May 2022, Rodgers revealed that Kennedy was considering him as a presidential running mate.
The quarterback says he ultimately declined.
“There were really two options. Retire and be his VP or keep playing. I wanted to keep playing,” he told CNN in May
January 2024: Jimmy Kimmel threatens legal action against Rodgers over Jeffrey Epstein comments
Jimmy Kimmel blasted Rodgers after the quarterback appeared to suggest Kimmel had ties to the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
“Dear A——–: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality,” Kimmel wrote on X on Jan. 2, NBC News reported.
“Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court,” Kimmel added.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host appeared to be responding to comments Rodgers made on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show”that week.
On the show, Rodgers was discussing a list of Epstein’s associates that was set to be released. The list was expected to name more than 150 prominent people with connections to Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he died in jail in 2019.
“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said. “I’ll tell you what, if that list comes out, I’ll definitely be popping some sort of bottle.”
Kimmel’s name did not appear on any list of Epstein’s associates.
“Of course my name isn’t on it, and isn’t on it and won’t ever be on it,” Kimmel said in his Jan. 9 monologue on his talk show. “I don’t know Jeffrey Epstein, I never met Jeffrey Epstein, I’m not on the list, I was not on a plane or an island or anything ever. And I suggested that if Aaron wanted to make false and very damaging statements like that, then we should do it in court so he could share his proof with a judge.”
Rodgers addressed his comments about Kimmel in another appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Jan. 9, but did not apologize.
He criticized Kimmel for making what he viewed as “derogatory” jokes about him and other people who are unvaccinated during the pandemic.
Rodgers also addressed Kimmel’s anger at being accused of having links to Epstein.
“I totally understand how serious an allegation of pedophilia would be, so for him to be upset about that, I get it,” Rodgers said.
“I’m not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero evidence … I’m glad you’re not on the list because those who are on the list — and this what I think we can agree on — that at minimum there should be an inquiry into their involvement, especially if they went to the island,” he continued. “And at maximum, there should be an investigation.”
Rodgers said he would “like to put this to bed to move forward.”
March 2024: Rodgers responds to report that he questioned whether Sandy Hook tragedy took place
On March, 14, 2024, journalist Pamela Brown alleged in a CNN article that Rodgers discussed conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook tragedy when she spoke with him while covering the 2013 Kentucky Derby.
Brown alleged that Rodgers claimed the shooting, in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was an inside job orchestrated by the government.
The same day Brown’s article was published, Rodgers issued a statement on X about the Sandy Hook shooting, NBC News reported.
“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” he wrote.
“Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life,” his statement continued. “My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.”
August 2024: Rodgers says he regrets saying he was ‘immunized’ in 2021
Rodgers reflected on his earlier comment about being “immunized” in an unauthorized biography, “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers.”
Author Ian O’Connor interviewed the quarterback in the process of writing the book.
While Rodgers told O’Connor he did not regret his decision about being vaccinated, he said he wished he had elaborated further about his vaccination status at that August 2021 press conference.
“Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I had been immunized,” Rodgers told O’Connor, “I would have responded with this: I would have said, ‘Look, I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-Earther. I am somebody who’s a critical thinker. You guys know me, I march to the beat of my own drum.
“‘I believe strongly in bodily autonomy, and the ability to make choices for your body,” he continued, according to O’Connor, “not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something.’”
