Kriti Mehrotra
With sports documentaries on an incredible rise over the past few years, it’s no surprise football and its stars are among the major topics being covered, amongst whom is now Aaron Rogers. This star quarterback has had a truly remarkable career over the past two decades, so Netflix’s ‘Aaron Rodgers: Enigma’ follows his journey as he rebounds from an Achilles injury while chronicling the defining moments of his life and career. Therefore, of course, there is significant mention of his family, too, especially considering they had not had a great relationship since at least the mid-2010s when he was essentially at the peak of his career.
Aaron Rogers Credits His Parents For the Man He Is Today
It was on December 2, 1983, that Aaron was born in Chico, California, as the middle child of Darla Leigh (née Pittman) and Edward Wesley Rodgers among their three boys. His elder brother’s name is Luke, whereas his younger brother is Jordan, amongst whom he grew up playing ball in the yard. According to Aaron’s own accounts, it was really early on that his chiropractor father instilled in the brothers not to drink and not to party too much or they would limit themselves in sports like he did, and he really took it to heart. That’s how he was able to hone his skills throughout high school and college before going pro.
As if that’s not enough, in the documentary series, Aaron even asserted that his parents treated him as soft growing up because that’s just how they were in their conservative community. But, instead of it being a bad thing, he deems it to be a positive because it taught him to handle adversity on his own and work hard to prove to himself that he has what it takes to shine. However, things allegedly weren’t always shiny and roses for the family as their conservativeness sometimes felt hindering, and the brothers were apparently very, very competitive from the get-go.
The Rodgers Family Blamed Fame For Their Estrangement From Aaron
It was in 2016 when it first came to light that Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback and NFL winner Aaron hadn’t been close to his family for at least a couple of years. This happened because of his younger brother Jordan’s appearance on ‘The Bachelorette’ season 12 (JoJo Fletcher’s season) when he took her to their hometown of Chico, and Aaron was noticeably missing. There were actually two empty chairs at the dinner table, which made this even more prominent, especially as Luke and his then-girlfriend were there, right along with the brothers’ parents.
“[Being estranged from our family is] just the way he’s chosen to do life,” Jordan explained on the show. “I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother [Luke].” Then, in 2017, the family’s patriarch came forward to tell The New York Times that “Fame can change things,” adding that the estrangement began around 2014 and things have remained complicated. Nevertheless, Aaron has chosen never to comment on these directly except to indicate he will deal with personal matters privately, “As far as those kinds of things go, I’ve always found that it’s a little inappropriate to talk publicly about some family matters, so I’m just — I’m not going to speak on those things.”
Aaron and His Family Have Had Ups and Downs Over the Past Decade
Things took a turn for Aaron in April 2018 when his younger brother made a National Sibling Day post on his Instagram profile but only included the eldest of the trio, Luke Rogers. In the caption, he even penned how he had “looked up to this guy” since he was a little kid,” which many deemed to be a passive-aggressive dig at Aaron and the way he has chosen to live his life. The fact Aaron allegedly didn’t reach out to his family during the 2018 California wildfires also reportedly became a point of contention amongst them, right along with his public views on religion a couple of years later.
In late 2018, Aaron did hint at reconciliation by revealing he was having dinner at home with his parents when he found out the team’s head coach, Mike McCarthy, had been fired following a few bad losses. Yet, alas, when he spoke on his religious upbringing and how he has since moved away in 2020, it reportedly left his immediate family “dismayed,” as per People. “The family is very dedicated to their Christian faith,” an insider explained. “To them, his comments are basically a slap in the face to the fundamentals of who they are. It’s basically him turning his back on everything they have taught him.”
According to reports, things changed again in 2022 when Aaron and his brothers started talking again, yet this time with the understanding that they were different people with different belief systems. Since then, Aaron has also iterated several times that he wishes his family nothing, but the best, and the door is always open for them in his mind, but he does assert his journey has been and will continue to be different from theirs. Yet, it is imperative to note that both his brothers have since gotten married, and he was noticeably missing from both celebrations – while Luke tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend in April 2019, Jordan and JoJo married following a long engagement in May 2022.
Aaron Rogers’ Family is Leading a Relatively Quiet Life in California
While Aaron has never deeply gone into his estrangement from his family, he has indicated it has stemmed from his religious upbringing, his change since he found football, and his different ethics and belief systems. Yet, he has since healed from the past and is now hoping everything goes forth smoothly for him, whether in terms of his relationships with his family, his dating life, or his professional experiences. From what we can tell, even his family appears to be on the same page at the moment, as they seem to be prioritizing their careers while also managing their interpersonal bonds.
While Jordan and his now-wife JoJo are television personalities turned influences based out of Chicago, they also appear to be very family-oriented. Jordan has since also launched a podcast called ‘The WKND with Jordan Rodgers’, and he also has a place at ESPN & SEC Network to talk about college football. As for Luke, this happily married, proud father of two has since also evolved into a public figure, especially after launching a podcast called ‘Blurry Creatures’ alongside Nate Henry. Coming to Darla and Edward, from what we can tell, the former teacher, as well as the former chiropractor, is now retired, and they seem to be leading their best lives at the moment.
Read More: Where is Julie Rodgers Now?
