Aaron Rodgers speaks out on being forced to address his sexuality: ‘I was upset’
Aaron Rodgers is reflecting on having to shut down speculation that he was gay in 2013 – and why the whole situation was “disrespectful” to the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I think I was upset at the framing [of the rumor] because it was meant to shame the idea of being gay, and I have so many friends that are gay in the community,” the NFL star told author Ian O’Connor for his new biography, “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” out now.
Rodgers, now 40, was referencing a Milwaukee radio interview he did over a decade ago in which he felt he was forced to address his sexuality amid speculation that he was not straight during the early days of his NFL career.
For the book, the quarterback recalled stewing over the rumors for quite some time and wanting to “go after” the people who were spreading them.
“Not in relation to me, because I could give a s–t what they thought about me, but that they’re using this to shame, like it’s a bad thing to be gay. Like it’s a negative,” he explained to O’Connor, who formerly worked as a columnist for the Post.
Rodgers admitted that he was torn at the time on whether he should call people out for implying that being gay was a “bad thing” or to take pal Jason Wilde’s advice to “just let it go” and say no. At the time, the two were co-hosting a segment titled “Tuesdays With Aaron” on ESPN Milwaukee.
“I’m like, ‘Say anything you want about me, but do you understand these people are using this to shame the idea of being gay?’ That’s just disrespectful to all my friends who are in the community who don’t believe that it’s a choice,” he said. “They were making it seem like you’re shaming people for being gay, when a lot of them, if you ask them, they didn’t ask for this life. ‘This is who I am.’”
The New York Jets player admitted to O’Connor, however, that he “wished” he would have been more direct in his initial response.
In the 2013 radio spot he was referring to, Rodgers was speaking with Wilde about the unglamorous side of fame – and the “crazy rumors that swirl around from time to time that get silly.”
