Aaron Rodgers said the Sandy Hook shooting was an absolute tragedy on Thursday, responding to a CNN story alleging he shared conspiracy theories about the incident. The New York Jets quarterback is debunking conspiracy theories just days after being named a potential running mate for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who famously loves them.
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“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy,” said Rodgers in a tweet Thursday. “I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place.”
Rodgers’ statements on Thursday conflict with a report this week which says he enthusiastically shared conspiracy theories with CNN journalist Pamela Brown. The NFL player allegedly called the tragic killing of Sandy Hook Elementary students a “government inside job” that the media was intentionally ignoring back in 2013. He told another source quoted in the story that “Sandy Hook never happened” and that all children involved “were all actors.” Although Rodgers insists he never believed the shooting did not take place, that doesn’t necessarily mean he believes the official story of what happened that tragic day.
Independent presidential candidate RFK Jr. recently named the Jets quarterback as a potential running mate earlier this week. Kennedy is an avid conspiracy theorist, himself. Some of his dumbest assertions are that Wi-Fi causes cancer, antidepressants are the cause of school shootings, chemicals in the water supply turn children transgender, and vaccines cause autism.
Now that Rodgers appears to be turning his back on conspiracy theories (or this one at least), RFK Jr. may not find him to be such a suitable running mate. Conspiracy theories are core to RFK Jr.’s campaign, and Rodgers’ belief in them seemed to be key to his consideration for VP.
The Jets quarterback has a history of sharing conspiracy theories, which probably made him attractive in the first place. Rodgers unfoundedly suggested Jimmy Kimmel was associated with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on Pat McAfee’s show in January. The claim was baseless, but Rodgers said he would pop “some sort of bottle” when a list came out revealing it. That was a baseless lie, but par for the course.
Rodgers was fined by the National Football League in 2021 for violating the league’s COVID-19 vaccine protocols. He misled reporters at the time, telling them he had been “immunized” when they asked if he was vaccinated. He never received one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, and later shared numerous theories about how the vaccines were dangerous.
So why is Rodgers now saying he believes the Sandy Hook shooting happened? In December, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones offered to pay $55 million to Sandy Hook families, hoping to settle lawsuits filed against him for calling the 2012 Newtown shooting a hoax. There’s now a precedent set around Sandy Hook conspiracies: they’re dangerous and those who spread them could be financially liable. Rodgers likely doesn’t want to end up in a similar situation, but it could cost him his spot on RFK Jr.’s ticket.