Aaron Rodgers' storied NFL career was recently overshadowed by his first dive into vaccine conspiracy theories. Reaction to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate reached a fever pitch this week, following a report that the Jets quarterback is also a Sandy Hook native.
On Thursday, Rogers declined CNN report featuring interviews with two people — including CNN's Pamela Brown — who said in the report that the Super Bowl champion claimed, “Sandy Hook never happened … All those kids never existed. They were all actors.”
Rogers pushed back against the claim, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that he is “on record as saying in the past, what happened at Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not happen.”
“I hope we can learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent needless loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community,” he added.
The report details Rogers' alleged views on the 2012 massacre in which 26 people — including 20 children between the ages of six and seven — were killed in a mass shooting.
According to CNN's Pamela Brown, who met Rogers at the 2013 Kentucky Derby, her quarterback claimed the shooting was a government-orchestrated inside job and criticized the media for deliberately ignoring the reality of the story.
Brown said she tried to question Rogers about the evidence he had to prove his claims and that he shared several debunked theories. At one point, Rogers reportedly asked her what she thought about false claims that government officials dressed in black were hiding in the woods behind the school.
Another source, whose identity has not been released to protect their anonymity, said that years ago Rogers told them that “Sandy Hook never happened … All these kids never existed. They were all actors” and that the parents of the murdered children were “making it up. They are all actors.”
Unfortunately, nefarious conspiracies have become a mainstay of Rodgers' persona. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the athlete had been tapped as a potential vice-presidential running mate by fellow conspiracy theorist and presidential candidate RFK Jr. The two men have little in common other than their shared love of imagining sinister government schemes and spreading disinformation. It is unclear if Rodgers has been formally offered the position. RFK Jr. says he will reveal his VP pick on March 26.
If Rodgers were to be offered and accept the position, it would likely have profound implications for his athletic career. It could also have implications for RFK Jr. Mediaite mentionted on Thursday that some of his donors have threatened to lose him if he uses the quarterback as his running mate.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/aaron-rodgers-denies-sandy-hook-truther-1234987848/
