GREEN BAY, Wis. — During his final appearance of the year on The Pat McAfee Show, Green Bay Packers legend Aaron Rodgers discussed his mental wellness, the upcoming darkness retreat, inaccurate reporting from national media members and more before concluding with a reflective quote about his time in Green Bay:
“18 years, man. That’s always going to be home.”
McAfee tried to get Rodgers to open up about his looming career decision, but the Packers legend never opened up on the topic. On the program, Rodgers recently announced that he would take a four-day retreat into darkness to practice mindfulness and decide whether he will return to Green Bay, retire, or request a trade for the 2023 NFL season.
However, Rodgers was willing to discuss false reporting from national media members that put a date on his darkness retreat, drawing the ire of football fans across the country who dreamt of bringing Rodgers to their team.
“I have no problem with Ian Rapoport, [or Adam] Schefter. I think they’re really good at their jobs. When it comes to me, they don’t know shit,” Rodgers said. “Look, I have no animosity toward Ian or Adam or anybody trying to do their job, but I’m here to set the record straight when they fall a little short.”
Aaron Rodgers also took the opportunity to open up about his upcoming darkness retreat, citing meditation and yoga retreats as different but similar experiences which help put him in a better headspace.
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He explained that he used to be judgmental about things like natural medicine, darkness retreats and therapy, citing the conditioning of his childhood as the reasoning. Given those circumstances, the Green Bay Packers star said that he understands the apprehension some people expressed regarding his retreat. However, Rodgers claimed that this judgement says more about those people than himself.
“I think we could all use a dose of ‘turn-our-phone-off’ once in a while and unplugging from society,” Rodgers said. “We’re all just trying to do our best on our journey. For me, this is the [kind of] things that work for me.”
The show’s hosts, McAfee and former NFL linebacker A.J. Hawk, inquired about how Rodgers will navigate the dark when using the toilet, bathing or eating. He was confident that he could map the room before the lights go off, which will help him navigate his isolation. For the full segment, click here.
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