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Aaron Rodgers breaks silence on brother Jordan Rodgers ...

Aaron Rodgers breaks silence on brother Jordan Rodgers
In "Enigma," Aaron Rodgers said he and his family differ on religion and had choice words about brother Jordan Rodgers' time on "The Bachelorette."
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Pat McAfee apologizes, responds to Aaron Rodgers/Jimmy Kimmel feud

After Aaron Rodgers made a comment about Jimmy Kimmel and the late night host responded on X, Pat McAfee spoke about the feud on his show.

NFL star Aaron Rodgers is ready to tell-all.

In Netflix's three-part docuseries "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma," released Tuesday, the New York Jets quarterback allows cameras into his life off the field and journey back to playing for the NFL following his season-ending injury last year from a torn Achilles.

In between lamenting his loss of privacy, the 41-year-old Super Bowl champion lets viewers in on being offered a spot on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential ticket and his thoughts about the hit his reputation took due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Rodgers described himself as "being cast as the villain, especially the last few years."

In the series' second installment, titled "Awakening," he delves into his rift with his family and how it came to a head with younger brother Jordan Rodgers' successful run on "The Bachelorette" in 2016.

Aaron Rodgers opens up about estrangement from family

According to Aaron, differing views on religion and spirituality, as well as lifestyle, contributed to his estrangement from his family, which includes parents Ed and Darla and brothers Jordan, 36, and Luke, 42. But the distance between himself and his family started making itself known as far back as high school.

"I grew up in a really conservative, small-town environment" where he went to "a very white, dogmatic church, and that just didn't really serve me," Aaron says. He also says he felt the image of masculinity modeled for him growing up caused his "stunted emotional intelligence" that he addresses, in part, through using ayahuasca and partaking in temazcal, or a sweat lodge ceremony created by Indigenous people living in Central and North America.

After going to an ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica, the NFL star says: "I think doing ayahuasca helps your total healing process, mind, body, spirit."

In regards to the rift with his family, Rodgers claims, "When I started looking into other religions and plant medicine, I also found a lot of resistance doing things that, compared to what I grew up in, would be considered an alternative lifestyle."

Aaron Rodgers says family didn't support his celebrity status

Rodgers says when he joined the NFL, he was pursuing his football dreams – not stardom. "I never signed up" for off-the-field attention," he tells the camera.

He recalls the discomfort of being the subject of paparazzi photos for the first time in 2011 and admits, "I didn't do myself any favors with some of the girls I dated after that were in the public eye." He was formerly engaged to "Big Little Lies" star Shailene Woodley and also dated pro racer Danica Patrick as well as actresses Olivia Munn and Jessica Szohr.

Rodgers also claims his family was not supportive of his visibility as a celebrity whose influence extended beyond the field.

"There was a lot of times, when I became real famous, where I heard from a lot of people – including family members – where it was like, 'Your life is too big; we need you to be smaller. Don't talk about your life,'" he says.

"It always hurt me because I just feel like you don't see me. This is not something I ever desired or wanted, other than playing on Sundays," he continues. "It can definitely change the people around your circle because it can be intoxicating, the fame and notoriety. Definitely, relationships changed after that. Friendships, family."

Aaron Rodgers 'never asked' to be part of Jordan Rodgers' 'Bachelorette' hometown date

Rodgers admits there wasn't too much love lost between him and the rest of his family: "It wasn't like I was super duper close with everybody in the family; I was close with my little brother. But in actuality, it goes back to stuff from high school that kind of made me feel distant. Stuff from college, stuff from post-college."

He continues, "I was quiet about it because I thought the best way to do it was just don't talk about it publicly. And what do they do?"

The screen transitions to coverage from 2016 of Jordan Rodgers' appearance on (now wife) JoJo Fletcher's season of "The Bachelorette," in which Aaron and his then-girlfriend Olivia Munn were noticeably absent from Jordan's hometown date.

"They go on a (expletive) show and leave two empty chairs," Aaron says. "They all agreed this was a good thing to do, to leave two empty chairs at a stupid dating show that my brother just went on to get famous – his words, not mine – that he ended up winning."

He continues, "But a dinner that was during the season, I was never asked to go to, not that I would've gone."

USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Jordan Rodgers and "The Bachelorette" for comment.

Until now, Aaron has been mum about the reality TV show. When asked at the time about his brother's participation on the show, Aaron said, "I've always found that it's a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters."

Jordan's NFL superstar connection was no small part of Fletcher's "Bachelorette" season. Aaron was mentioned numerous times throughout, and Jordan opened up to Fletcher about his lack of relationship with his brother more than halfway through the season.

“It's something we don’t really like talking about a whole lot. It pains both of us like not to have that relationship, like, we miss our brother," Luke Rodgers said on "The Bachelorette." "I trust in that God brings things full circle."

Aaron Rodgers is open to reconciling with his family

Eight years later, Aaron has no "ill will" toward his family.

"They're living as best they can ... still engulfed in organized religion, which works for them. That's great," he says. "So as much as they might not like what they see, love and respect and gratitude for how I was raised because it wouldn't have turned me into who I am today."

He continues, "People ask me, like, if there's hope for reconciliation. I say, 'Yeah, of course.' I don't want them to fail, to struggle, to have any strife or issues. I don't wish any ill will on them at all.

"It's more like we're just different steps in the timeline of our own journeys."

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