Two Bears Fans Ran Into Aaron Rodgers In Chicago And Ended Up Legitimately Spending Time With Him

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Among my three biggest fears in life are: cockroaches, drowning, and having my idols turn out to be complete dickheads. Example: After Ariana Grande finished up signing autographs for adoring fans, an industry insider heard her say in an elevator, “I hope they all fucking die.” Now I don’t idolize Ariana Grande, but I’m sure my 12-year-old cousin would be crushed.

On the flip side of that, regardless of fandom, it’s gotta be refreshing to realize first-hand that there are still dignified celebrities and not just dudes who show unwilling women their hogs.

And Aaron Rodgers seems like a nice, good-natured dude, at least according to the first-hand account of Julia Nicoll and her 11-year-old son, Peter.

The two were on a street corner in downtown Chicago on Saturday night before the Bears hosted the Packers two weeks back. Julia and Peter were waiting to cross the street when Peter said to his mom he thought he recognized Aaron Rodgers standing by them.

“I’m whispering to him like (in a doubting tone), ‘Really? I don’t think Aaron Rodgers is standing right next to us on the corner on a Saturday evening.’”

Welp, he sure was. Standing in a group of people waiting to cross the street, just like you and I would!

“I never in my life can talk to celebrities,” Julia said to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “If I go to a book signing, I don’t even talk to them, because I don’t want to bother people, but somehow I had it in me to say, ‘Are you …?’ really quietly. I didn’t even finish the sentence, because I didn’t want the other people at the corner to bug him if he just wanted to be alone, which I totally get, so I kind of stopped myself.

The next thing she knew, he turned around and introduced himself to Peter with a “Hi, I’m Aaron.” He told them he was out enjoying the energy and lights of the city before his dinner reservations. They talked about how he was feeling after his collarbone surgery. He asked Peter all kinds of sports-related questions. When Peter apologized for being a Bears fan, Rodgers told him no need. He should be. He lives in Chicago.


A group of people then recognized the two-time NFL MVP and Julia and her son decided to move along to let other fans have their moment. Then, after they crossed the street, Rodgers hustled to link back up with them.

“He just started talking to us again like we were all neighbors and friends. We walked with him again for the next 15 minutes, 20 minutes to Michigan Avenue,” Julia said. “The thing for me that really stood out as so awesome was he asked us questions. I would say he asked us more questions than I asked him, because I didn’t want to be nosy and because I didn’t want to invade his privacy.”

He asked about the Nicoll family’s Thanksgiving plans and their daughter who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire next year.

“He was asking me questions that most people would think, ‘Why would Aaron Rodgers care?’ It was so amazing. It was really something, I have to say. It still is,” Julia said. “I told so many people. We just couldn’t believe it, my son and I.”

He was so engaging. Just so nice and refreshing, and really, really great for Peter. All I kept telling him is, ‘Peter, what we’re talking about here is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever just hung out with us.’”

Aaron Rodgers: confirmed good guy.

[h/t Green Bay Press-Gazette]

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Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.