Aaron Rodgers is more of a hermit than socialite. As much as he loves stirring the pot during his Pat McAfee Show appearances, he’s a very private person. He walks to the beat of his own drum, and doesn’t let the words of others impact his thoughts.
Advertisement
Fans got an inside glimpse at Rodgers’ personal life during his “Enigma” Netflix documentary. The production discussed Rodgers’ draft slide, his rocky relationship with family members, ayahuasca usage and COVID-19 comments. It was an all-encompassing piece on one of the NFL’s greatest players. And throughout the process of creating the piece, director Gotham Chopra came away extremely impressed with his subject.
Chopra discussed Rodgers on Up & Adams earlier this week. He informed Adams that his experiences with Rodgers differed drastically from those he has had with other professional athletes. Additionally, he is certain Rodgers isn’t given the credit he deserves nationally for his knowledge about ayahuasca.
“A lot of athletes… [have] a lot of barriers to getting to know them… Aaron [didn’t]… once he committed to this project, he was so accessible… he was the one who set up that full ayahuasca thing, invited us… [there was] an openness and a willingness to share… there’s no resource in the world that is more informed ayahuasca [and] plant medicine than Aaron Rodgers.”
Chopra believes the notion that Rodgers is a “freak and like this strange guy” is a misconception. He said ayahuasca “is a tradition that goes back thousands of years in some cases” and not a “new-age thing” as many make it out to be. Interactions like these, centering on non-football topics, helped Chopra get a great understanding of Rodgers as a person.
Gotham Chopra: Aaron Rodgers “hadn’t really told his story”
For much of the past four years, Rodgers has caught nothing but flak from national media. He “endangered teammates” by not getting the COVID vaccine. He was “terrible” in 2024 despite throwing the same number of touchdown passes (28) as Josh Allen, the MVP. It makes sense that he’d fight to control the narrative around himself when it has been spiraling downward for so long.
Rodgers attempted to do this through his documentary. There were no external factors impacting what he showed. He was intent on letting people see him for who he believes he really is. Chopra, the person closest to Rodgers as he embarked on this mission, is confident he got the job done.
“[Aaron Rodgers] hadn’t really told his story in a sort of definitive way. That scarcity really drives interest, and I think – from a filmmaking… [and] storytelling standpoint – there [was] a lot of room to explore… Aaron had that mystery to him. And I thought that was pretty unique and pretty compelling.”
Adams, for one, said she “[isn’t] ready for an NFL world” without sound bites from Aaron Rodgers. She admitted, though, that she’s “not most people.”
No matter how you feel, you can’t deny there’s an understandable fascination with Rodgers. His path to the NFL is unique; his actions throughout his career are even more so. He naturally attracts attention as a result. The NFL is more interesting with him in it, and he doesn’t have many playing years left. We should enjoy the entertainment he provides – at great personal expense, sometimes – while we still can.
