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Aaron Rodgers has been a lightning rod for controversy for more than a decade and for a variety of reasons.
On Tuesday, an unauthorized biography titled Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers was released and it isn’t going to quell any of the noise surrounding the New York Jets quarterback.
Among the juicy tidbits revealed in the new book authored by sports biographer Ian O’Connor is a story about how Aaron Rodgers really felt about his brother Jordan Rodgers appearing on season 12 of The Bachelorette in 2016.
At one point during his run on the reality show, Jordan and his future wife JoJo Fletcher attended a dinner with his and Aaron’s parents, Ed and Darla, along with their brother Luke and his girlfriend.
During the scene, there were two places that were left empty at the table for Aaron and his girlfriend at the time, Olivia Munn. (Munn was reportedly one of the main causes of the family rift, according to O’Connor in the book.)
“Aaron was irritated by his family’s decision to film that scene, empty chairs and all, especially when he was not invited to participate,” O’Connor writes. “Not that he would have shown up. Aaron did not appreciate that Jordan was using their personal issues to increase his visibility for a potential TV career.”
O’Connor goes on to add, “Given his history of not commenting on his family fractures, Aaron said he has been distressed over the years by the occasional leak or comment from a family member. He said he wishes he was granted the same respect he had shown his parents and siblings.
“‘I have questions about why they feel the need to talk about it, because it’s like a game of poker,'” Aaron told O’Connor. “‘When you are holding all the cards, you don’t have to bluff. There’s nothing they can say other than make up stories, but look at the facts.'”
Prior to that scene on The Bachelorette, viewers had already been made aware that there was some friction between Aaron Rodgers and his family.
“I have a great relationship with my brother Luke,” E! News reports Jordan said in the episode. “Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship. It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life, and I chose to stay close to my family and my parents and my brother and, yeah, it’s not ideal. And I love him.”
Interestingly, Aaron Rodgers claimed at the time to have not seen his brother on the show.
“I haven’t seen the show, to be honest with you, so it hasn’t really affected me a whole lot,” he told reporters at training camp that season.
Yet in the same interview, Rodgers also said, “I’ve always found that it’s a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m not going to speak on those things. But I wish him well in the competition.”