Since Aaron Rodgers made his NFL debut in 2005, his exploits off the field have made nearly as many headlines as his athletic achievements.
Consider, for example, the “darkness retreat” he went on in 2023 while considering whether he wanted to retire from football entirely or simply leave the Green Bay Packers. “I’m still in the art of contemplation about my future,” he explained during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show at the time. “That’s why I think it’s going to be important to get through this week and take my isolation retreat and contemplate all things [related to] my future.”
A few days of quiet contemplation could be valuable in many circumstances, but this wasn’t a typical retreat. According to Ian O’Connor’s new book, Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, the darkness retreat lasted four nights, during which time Rodgers stayed in a “soundproof, 300-square-foot Hobbit hole equipped with an organic latex mattress, a sink, bath, toilet and a meditation mat.”
While it sounds unconventional, it worked for Rodgers, who decided not to retire after all and instead joined the New York Jets — and it’s just one of many unusual experiences the athlete has had over the years.
Keep scrolling for the eight oddest facts Us Weekly learned about Rodgers while reading Out of the Darkness:
1. He Once Listed His Stats on His Answering Machine
Before Rodgers transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, he had an unusual method of advertising his skills. “He has his statistics on his answering machine,” Rodgers’ former Butte College teammate Mark Parrish told O’Connor. “Anybody who called him … it was, ‘Hey, this is Aaron Rodgers. I’m 6 feet tall, I have a laser rocket arm, I have 12 touchdowns this year,’ and that was his answering machine through [junior college]. … I gave him s–t about it all the time, and it didn’t matter.”
2. He Got Massages to Make Him Taller
While Rodgers is now listed at 6-foot-2, he was short when he was growing up, causing coaches to underestimate him. During his time at Berkeley, he worked with trainer Thomas Weatherspoon, who encouraged him to try Rolfing — a kind of deep tissue massage — to increase his height.
According to Weatherspoon, Rodgers was just over 6 feet tall when they met, and Rolfing helped get him to the 6-foot-2 mark. “People were like, ‘Holy s–t, how did he get taller?’” the trainer recalled in the book.
3. He Kept Rejection Letters in His Closet
Before his NFL days, Aaron lived with his older brother, Luke Rodgers, who once found something unusual tacked up inside Aaron’s walk-in closet: rejection letters from Illinois and Purdue. Per O’Connor, these were hanging above a lithograph of Joe Montana.
4. He Founded His Own Record Label
After leading the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XLV in 2011, Aaron cofounded a record label called Suspended Sunrise Recordings. The label signed the band The Make, and Sugar Ray’s Murphy Karges was hired to “produce, direct and find talent” for the company.
5. His Family Traces Its Roots to the 1st Thanksgiving
Aaron’s 10th great-grandmother Susanna White Traveled to Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower in 1620 — yes, that Mayflower. She is believed to have been among the women who cooked for the first Thanksgiving, which took place in 1621.
Another one of Aaron’s distant relatives, a 10th great-grandmother named Elizabeth Clason, was tried on suspicion of being a witch in a Fairfield, Connecticut, courtroom in 1692. (She was found not guilty.)
6. He Loves Conspiracy Theories
Aaron’s conspiracy-minded tendencies made major headlines in 2021 when he refused to take the COVID vaccine, but O’Connor writes that he’s always been the type to question the standard version of events. According to the author, Aaron’s “fascination with conspiracies” started in 10th grade when he studied the assassination of John F. Kennedy and came to believe that it was “f–king bulls–t” that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. He was also “fascinated” by the obscure Tartarian Empire conspiracy, which asserts that Tartary is an ancient civilization that has been ignored by historians.
7. His Ayahuasca Journey Began With Ex Danica Patrick
Aaron has been open about his use of ayahuasca, which he first took during a trip with ex-girlfriend Patrick, whom he dated from 2018 to 2020. His friend Jordan Russell was instrumental in convincing him to try the plant-based psychedelic drug after having tried it himself and seen Aaron in his visions.
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8. He Has Hyperbaric Chambers in 2 of His Homes
Following his season-ending Achilles tendon injury in September 2023 during his first Game as a Jet, Aaron had portable hyperbaric chambers installed in his New Jersey and Malibu homes to aid in his recovery. The chambers are designed to supply patients with 100 percent oxygen, which helps the body heal and avoid infection.
Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers is out now.
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