NFL star to run for president
After news broke regarding football star Aaron Rodgers being considered as a running-mate for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the sports and political worlds have been in an uproar. In a shocking twist, Rodgers has announced that he will, actually, be running solo. The 40-year-old quarterback has won an MVP award, or four, and is known outside the game for his public views on the topic of vaccines.
The former University of California, Berkeley (UCB) attendee was notable more for his successes on the field rather than the classroom, which is uncommon for such a high-profile political figure. Before attending UCB, Rodgers was a student at Butte College, a community college in Oroville, California. Assuming a Rodgers victory in November, he would be the first US President to have attended a community college, and one of very few without any form of college degree.
His lack of a completed education has not hindered his ability to make “educated” claims, though, as he has provided people with an inside view of his brain time and time again. Rodgers quickly became a major source of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, as he refused to get vaccinated, and was critical of the health and safety protocols put in place during the pandemic. He was quickly dubbed a “conspiracy theorist” after claims that unvaccinated people were not the group most affected by COVID-19. He is a big fan of alternative medicine, and has been vocal about his push to legalize psychedelic drugs.
It has been said that he is not afraid to share his theories at inappropriate times, such as an early meeting with a former teammate. Rodgers is said to have expressed interest in conspiracies around the 9/11 tragedy and has mentioned it to several acquaintances, as well. He has also spoken on other tragedies with some takes that could only be described as “hot” or "insensitive” in the eyes of the general population. Rodgers was recently in hot water as he claimed that late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel was an acquaintance of Jeffery Epstein, which Kimmel quickly denied. Kimmel threatened to sue for defamation if Rodgers repeated the claims, to which the quarterback abided. Kimmel remained in Rodgers’ scope of ridicule for weeks to come, but the comments made were well within his legal and personal rights.
In his personal life, Rodgers has been in relationships with several big names in pop culture. From 2014-2017, he was notably in a relationship with actress Olivia Munn. Shortly after, he was involved with professional racer Danica Patrick for two years. After a quick turnaround, it became known that he was dating actress Shailene Woodley, with whom he was later confirmed to be engaged. Less than two years after their relationship became public, the engagement was called off.
As a quick internet search will show, Aaron Rodgers has spent a lot of time in the news outside of sports. Through false claims on societal and political issues, unproven personal attacks on celebrities, and plenty of failed relationships, it seems that Rodgers would make a perfect fit in the Oval Office, following in the footsteps of many other presidents with a speckled past.