Aaron Rodgers got candid about why he decided to discuss his sexuality on-air over a decade ago.
“I think I was upset with 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,” Rodgers, 40, told Ian O’Connor in an interview for the author’s new biography, Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers. “And right before that, [Jason Wilde] and I actually have talked about this multiple times, and I said, ‘I want to go after them, the people saying this.’”
He continued, “Not in relation to me, because I could give a shit 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.”
The New York Jets quarterback added that he “wanted to go after” that aspect while Wilde suggested that he “just let it go and just say no.”
“I wish I had done the former because that’s how I really felt. 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?” he said. “That’s just disrespectful to all my friends who are in the community who don’t believe that it’s a choice. 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.’”
He concluded, “So I wished I would have handled it that way, and I don’t blame Jason. We’ve talked it out.”
Rodgers addressed the “crazy rumors that swirl around from time to time that get silly” during a 2013 episode of ESPN Milwaukee’s Tuesdays With Aaron, where he was interviewed by Wilde, a sports journalist.
In response to Rodger’s remark, Wilde sarcastically replied, “I have no idea what you could be referring to. Oh, you mean the ‘Aaron Rogers is gay’ story?”
Rodgers laughed before confirming he was referring to the speculation about his sexuality. “So you’re aware?” Wilde asked. “You saw this out there?” At the time, Rodgers replied, “I’m just going to say I’m not gay. I really, really like women. That’s all I can say about that.”
He continued, “There’s always going to be silly stuff out there in the media, and you can’t worry too much about [it] and I don’t … I think there should be, professional is professional, and personal is personal. And that’s just how I’m going to keep it.”
Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers is available now.
