Aaron Rodgers. ANGELA WEISS/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Since Aaron Rodgers made his NFL debut in 2005, his exploits off the sector have made practically as many headlines as his athletic achievements.
Think about, for instance, the “darkness retreat” he went on in 2023 whereas contemplating whether or not he wished to retire from soccer completely or just depart the Inexperienced Bay Packers. “I’m nonetheless within the artwork of contemplation about my future,” he defined throughout an interview on The Pat McAfee Present on the time. “That’s why I believe it’s going to be necessary to get by way of this week and take my isolation retreat and ponder all issues [related to] my future.”
A number of days of quiet contemplation could possibly be helpful in lots of circumstances, however this wasn’t a typical retreat. In keeping with Ian O’Connor’s new ebook, Out of the Darkness: The Thriller of Aaron Rodgers, the darkness retreat lasted 4 nights, throughout which era Rodgers stayed in a “soundproof, 300-square-foot Hobbit gap outfitted with an natural latex mattress, a sink, bathtub, bathroom and a meditation mat.”
Whereas it sounds unconventional, it labored for Rodgers, who determined to not retire in spite of everything and as a substitute joined the New York Jets — and it’s simply one in every of many uncommon experiences the athlete has had through the years.
Preserve scrolling for the eight oddest info Us Weekly discovered about Rodgers whereas studying Out of the Darkness:
Aaron Rodgers. Patrick McDermott/Getty Photos
1. He As soon as Listed His Stats on His Answering Machine
Earlier than Rodgers transferred to the College of California, Berkeley, he had an uncommon methodology of promoting his abilities. “He has his statistics on his answering machine,” Rodgers’ former Butte Faculty teammate Mark Parrish advised O’Connor. “Anyone who known as him … it was, ‘Hey, that is Aaron Rodgers. I’m 6 ft tall, I’ve a laser rocket arm, I’ve 12 touchdowns this yr,’ and that was his answering machine by way of [junior college]. … I gave him s–t about it on a regular basis, and it didn’t matter.”
Patrick McDermott/Getty Photos; Kevin Mazur/Getty Photos Within the spring of 2005, the nippiness within the Inexperienced Bay air caught round a bit of bit longer than traditional. With the twenty fourth choose in that yr’s NFL Draft, the Inexperienced Bay Packers chosen quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the College of California, Berkeley. The choose was notable not so […]
2. He Received Massages to Make Him Taller
Whereas Rodgers is now listed at 6-foot-2, he was quick when he was rising up, inflicting coaches to underestimate him. Throughout his time at Berkeley, he labored with coach Thomas Weatherspoon, who inspired him to strive Rolfing — a sort of deep tissue therapeutic massage — to extend his top.
In keeping with Weatherspoon, Rodgers was simply over 6 ft tall once they met, and Rolfing helped get him to the 6-foot-2 mark. “Individuals had been like, ‘Holy s–t, how did he get taller?’” the coach recalled within the ebook.
Aaron Rodgers. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Photos for Aston Martin
3. He Stored Rejection Letters in His Closet
Earlier than his NFL days, Aaron lived together with his older brother, Luke Rodgers, who as soon as discovered one thing uncommon tacked up inside Aaron’s walk-in closet: rejection letters from Illinois and Purdue. Per O’Connor, these had been hanging above a lithograph of Joe Montana.
4. He Based His Personal Report Label
After main the Packers to victory in Tremendous Bowl XLV in 2011, Aaron cofounded a file label known as Suspended Dawn Recordings. The label signed the band The Make, and Sugar Ray’s Murphy Karges was employed to “produce, direct and discover expertise” for the corporate.
5. His Household Traces Its Roots to the first Thanksgiving
Aaron’s tenth great-grandmother Susanna White traveled to Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower in 1620 — sure, that Mayflower. She is believed to have been among the many girls who cooked for the primary Thanksgiving, which passed off in 1621.
One other one in every of Aaron’s distant kin, a tenth great-grandmother named Elizabeth Clason, was tried on suspicion of being a witch in a Fairfield, Connecticut, courtroom in 1692. (She was discovered not responsible.)
Aaron Rodgers. Mitchell Leff/Getty Photos
6. He Loves Conspiracy Theories
Aaron’s conspiracy-minded tendencies made main headlines in 2021 when he refused to take the COVID vaccine, however O’Connor writes that he’s all the time been the sort to query the usual model of occasions. In keeping with the writer, Aaron’s “fascination with conspiracies” began in tenth grade when he studied the assassination of John F. Kennedy and got here to consider that it was “f–king bulls–t” that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. He was additionally “fascinated” by the obscure Tartarian Empire conspiracy, which asserts that Tartary is an historical civilization that has been ignored by historians.
Aaron Rodgers is without doubt one of the best-ever quarterbacks to play within the NFL, however it’s usually his antics off the sector that get the most individuals speaking. Rodgers — who was the Inexperienced Bay Packers famous person quarterback for 18 seasons earlier than becoming a member of the New York Jets in April 2023 — got here beneath hearth in November […]
7. His Ayahuasca Journey Started With Ex Danica Patrick
Aaron has been open about his use of ayahuasca, which he first took throughout a visit with ex-girlfriend Patrick, whom he dated from 2018 to 2020. His good friend Jordan Russell was instrumental in convincing him to strive the plant-based psychedelic drug after having tried it himself and seen Aaron in his visions.
“I noticed into who Aaron is, and I noticed the rationale that his potential was not being met, as a result of his potential shouldn’t be who he’s on the soccer discipline,” Russell advised O’Connor. “Within the ceremony that evening … I noticed him for precisely who he’s and it introduced me to tears.”
8. He Has Hyperbaric Chambers in 2 of His Houses
Following his season-ending Achilles tendon harm in September 2023 throughout his first sport as a Jet, Aaron had transportable hyperbaric chambers put in in his New Jersey and Malibu houses to assist in his restoration. The chambers are designed to provide sufferers with one hundred pc oxygen, which helps the physique heal and keep away from an infection.
Out of the Darkness: The Thriller of Aaron Rodgers is out now.
