Who are Aaron Rodgers's parents? NFL star blames dad for 'stunted' emotional intelligence
NFL star Aaron Rodgers's life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Be it his professional achievements and setbacks as a football quarterback, or his estranged relationship with his parents Ed and Darla Rodgers, and his two brothers, Luke and Jordan; Rodgers continues to make headlines for various reasons.
While his family has often publically talked about their strained relationship with the football star, he has always chosen to keep things as private as possible. However, in Netflix's latest docu-series centered around him, he briefly speaks about his father's emotional unavailability.
Aaron Rodgers opens up about his father in Netflix docu-series
'Aaron Rodgers: Enigma' is a three-part docu-series delving into the most crucial moments of his life and career. In the second episode, he explains that he was 'stunted' by his father's lack of emotions, as per a report by People.
The clip features the quarterback participating in an ayahuasca ceremony where he says, "I think part of the real joy in this work, is, there is such a feminine spirit to ayahuasca," while further adding that the psychedelic drug allows users to "model a new way of thinking about masculinity, or what it means to be a man." Rodgers has previously admitted to using ayahuasca with his teammates, describing the experience as “radically life-changing,” as per NBC News.
In the docu-series, Rodgers mentions that he has seen his father, Ed Rogers, cry only once. He says, "I think I saw my dad cry when my grandfather passed. And that might have been it." Further recalling his childhood, he adds, "There wasn't space for emotion. So, I definitely had some stunted emotional intelligence."
The quarterback also mentions that being "emotional" and "being able to tap into that divine feminine and be vulnerable" is "what it means to be a well-balanced man," as per People.
Inside Aaron Rodgers's strained relationship with his family
Aaron Rodgers hasn't spoken to his parents or siblings since 2014. His father, Ed, confirmed this, stating, “Fame can change things,” referring to Aaron's success with the Green Bay Packers, in a conversation with The New York Times in January 2017.
The drama within the family first came to light in 2016 when Aaron's brother Jordon appeared on Jojo Fletcher’s season of 'The Bachelorette'. On the reality show, he mentioned that though he shares a close bond with his oldest brother, Luke, Aaron is estranged from all the family members.
“It’s just the way he’s chosen to do life," Jordon said about Aaron while adding, "I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother [Luke].” While the family has many times opened up about Aaron's distance from them, the New York Jets player has avoided making comments.
'Aaron Rodgers: Enigma' trailer
'Aaron Rodgers: Enigma' starts streaming on Netflix from Tuesday, December 17.
