To be clear, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers did not lose the NFC Championship game to the Atlanta Falcons because the quarterback is feuding with his family.
They lost because Matt Ryan played one of the best games of his career… because the Green Bay defense isn’t very good… and because Jordy Nelson was playing with broken ribs, among other factors.
But the fact remains that Rodgers’s father chose to speak to the press about his relationship with his son just as Rodgers was trying to lead the Packers to the Super Bowl.
That ain’t exactly cool.
Earlier this month, Ed Rodgers opened up to The New York Times about Aaron, saying ominously that “fame can change things,” a strong implication that the All-Pro had chosen to distance himself from his loved ones after making it big.
This remark came several months after Aaron’s brother, Jordan Rodgers, actually won The Bachelorette, asking JoJo Fletcher to marry him on the show’s finale.
During one episode toward the end of that season, JoJo and Jordan visited the Rodgers family at home, with Jordan commenting at the time that Aaron and girlfriend Olivia Munn would not be present for dinner.
Rumors have run rampant that Aaron has barely talked to his parents and/or his sibling back in 2014, when he started to date Munn.
“Airing public laundry is not what I would have chosen,” Ed told the newspaper, adding that it was “hard to tell” at this point what kind of relationship he even has with his most famous son.
The former NFL MVP, for his part, has refused to get into any details about his relatives in the press.
“I just don’t think it’s appropriate talking about family stuff publicly,” he said at the Packers’ practice facility prior to Green Bay defeating the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs.
But Munn has now taken it upon herself to do so.
In subtle, albeit pointed, fashion.
Several days after an insider alleged that Jordan and Aaron got into a huge fight over the latter’s assessment that Munn was simply using Rodgers for fame and fortune, the actress penned a note on Instagram.
It thanked Green Bay supporters who have cheered the team on since Day One this season, while very clearly calling out certain people who have made the last few weeks challenging.
“So proud of this team,” Munn wrote. “They faced a lot of adversity on and off the field, but battled to get this far.”
“Thank you to those of you who encouraged and supported them by choosing to put out only positive energy.”
“It helped them get this far,” the X-Men star concluded, signing the note with green and yellow hearts.
Take a look at it here:
It’s true.
The team was 4-6 at one point, prior to Rodgers going on one of the hottest streaks of his career and leading the Packers to eight consecutive victories, along with an NFC North title.
But is there a deeper meaning behind this?
In his interview with The New York Times, Ed Rodgers didn’t dispute a Bleacher Report story from November that claimed Christmas presents Aaron’s parents sent him and Munn were returned unopened.
This scandalous report also said that family members weren’t welcome in Green Bay at games and that Aaron didn’t attend his grandfather’s funeral.
And, look, we have no idea what has caused such tension between Aaron Rodgers, his brother and his parents.
Sure, perhaps the quarterback has let fame go to his head and distanced himself from his lowly relatives at home.
But Jordan is the one who went on the Bachelorette.
Ed is the one who talked to the media.
Might it be possible, if not downright plausible, that Aaron’s relatives have been the ones asking him for money? Or trying to use his status to benefit themselves in various ways?
And that Aaron finally got sick and tired of it?
Asked by Entertainment Tonight a little while ago about her boyfriend’s relationship with his parents, Munn refused to discuss any details.
She simply referred to it as “complicated.”
And we’re happy to leave it at that. How is this anyone’s business?
Can we just assess the offseason of Green Bay instead and wonder whether they have a Super Bowl 52 run in their future next season?
Because they ought to be among the NFC favorites, that’s for sure.