Auckland — The quarterback wasn’t there. His name was not mentioned for two hours. Maybe it’s not necessary.
The mere prospect of a tie-in has served its purpose — to drive the news cycle, stoke speculation and stoke intrigue surrounding an outsider seeking the White House who is intent on flouting political norms. But what about Aaron Rodgers running for Vice President of the United States?
Not only does this violate political norms, it is also unbelievable.
It’s almost impossible to imagine Rodgers being able to balance the rigors of his day-to-day job as quarterback of the New York Jets with a high-stakes political campaign, especially this fall when the heart of the NFL’s regular season collides directly with Election Day . Still, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of America’s most famous political family, insisted earlier this month that his friend Rogers was at the top of his list of potential running mates.
Rodgers never publicly denied or dismissed his candidacy — he “welcomed the proposal,” according to the New York Times — which, for at least a few days, further reinforced the notion that a 40-year-old NFL quarterback The guard and future Pro Football Hall of Famer may be putting his hopes of a Jets season on hold to travel the country campaigning, meeting with voters and maybe even attending a vice presidential debate. Or, somehow do both at the same time.
The possibility of a Kennedy-Rogers campaign — slim to none from the start — was officially put on hold Tuesday in Oakland, where Kennedy named attorney and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. Shanahan, who was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is a new face in politics. She recently provided $4 million to help pay for a Kennedy ad that aired during the Super Bowl.
Rodgers fit the mold that Kennedy was looking for. Kennedy said in a recent interview that “we’re targeting young people” and that Rodgers is “proven because he’s been blasted by the media for his “skepticism of authority.”
How much influence Rogers would add to Kennedy’s candidacy is debatable. In just a few years, he has become one of the most polarizing figures in sports, and even Kennedy’s most ardent supporters, some of whom walked into the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts on Tuesday to watch the announcement, weren’t buying it. Think Rogers was once a serious candidate for vice president.
Zach Nelson called it a “publicity stunt.” The 26-year-old business owner from Seattle flew in for the event and said he has made significant donations to Kennedy’s campaign, citing his support for cryptocurrency. “All you have to do is say ‘Aaron Rodgers could be our vice president,’ and people will bite you,” Nelson continued. “I thought it was a very smart PR strategy to attract attention. And it worked.”
Ryan Sarnataro, 72, who drove 85 miles from Santa Cruz to sit nearby on Tuesday, said he was completely unimpressed by the potential for Rogers to join the ticket. “I’m not a fan of having someone who’s not qualified become the heartbeat of the president,” he said.
Trip Derham, a native New Yorker, never took the problem seriously. “Don’t believe it,” he said. “It’s just a lot. It’s going to bring a lot of confusion into the game.”
Some, like lifelong Bay Area resident Nicole Fuller, seemed shocked to learn Rogers was even a candidate for the job. “I didn’t know he was being considered — I had no idea,” she said. “But maybe he’ll bring a pop feel to the song, like Taylor Swift did? We might need that. We’re hoping for a miracle here.”
A supporter cheers at an event where Robert F. Kennedy announced Nicole Shanahan as his running mate on Tuesday. (Josh Adelson/AFP via Getty Images)
Sue Peters, a neuroscientist from New York who flew in for Tuesday’s announcement, had no reservations about any of Kennedy’s potential running mates, including Rogers. “I trust (Kennedy),” she said. “I think (former President Donald) Trump broke the mold and opened the way for Bobby to run for president as a person with no political history. I don’t think the vice president needs to have political experience either.”
One Kennedy supporter — who admitted he was new to politics — slipped backstage before the announcement and grabbed several “Kennedy 24” hats in the lobby. He stood for a moment, scanning the life-size mural that decorated the entrance, a collage of images spanning Kennedy’s life. One of the photos shows the candidate, about four or five years old, lying in his father’s arms. Before Tuesday, Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, had no idea that Robert F. Kennedy Sr. was running for president when he was assassinated in 1968.
Like Rodgers, the 20-year NBA veteran and former champion became friendly with Kennedy over the past year. He flew in from Los Angeles to show his support Tuesday morning and delivered three remarks from the podium, electrifying the crowd before Kennedy and Shanahan took the stage.
When asked about Rodgers, whom he doesn’t know personally, World Peace weighed in on the possibility of a professional athlete running for vice president mid-season. “Man, that’s what it is real Interesting,” he said at last. “And it’s really cool.”
How did we end up in a world where a star quarterback turned part-time firebrand ended up on a shortlist for vice president who happened to be John F. Kennedy’s nephew?
Over the past few years, something has changed for Rodgers, at least publicly: He’s no longer interested in biting his tongue and offering many pro athletes — especially franchise quarterbacks — – A sound recording relied upon in front of a microphone or camera. In Rogers’ words: He was just tired of sitting back, being quiet, and letting others shape the narrative around him.
He wants his say.
Rogers repeatedly courted controversy–at times seemingly enthusiastic and even enjoying the ensuing firestorm; at other times, he was frustrated by the way he was portrayed. He dabbled in conspiracy theories on “The Pat McAfee Show,” a comfortable forum where Rogers knew he wouldn’t be challenged by the host.
Even as happened in January, Rogers falsely claimed that TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear in court documents related to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel threatened to sue. Rogers tried to walk back the comments but never apologized.
“I wouldn’t call him (a pedophile) and you shouldn’t call him that,” Rogers later said on McPhee’s show. “Let me be crystal clear. I get no excitement or pleasure from anyone doing this. So don’t do it in my name. Don’t do it at all. These are serious accusations against people on the list. “
He recently denied CNN reports on X that he shared conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre, his only public comments since being reported as a potential running mate for Kennedy, saying he would He will support the Kennedy ticket this fall. Like Kennedy, Rogers has repeatedly expressed doubts about vaccines, once mocking Travis Kelce as “Mr. Vaccine.” “Pfizer” after the Chiefs All-Pro tight end starred in a commercial promoting the coronavirus and flu vaccines. Rogers later challenged Kelce and Dr. Anthony Fauci to join him and Kennedy in debating the topic.
Rodgers misled reporters about his vaccine status before the 2020 season and later tested positive for the coronavirus. He was fined by the Packers for not following league protocol. “I realize that I’m now in the crosshairs of the woke mob,” he said on McAfee’s show shortly thereafter, “so before I put the final nail in my cancel culture coffin, I want to I want to set the record straight that there are so many blatant lies out there for critical thinkers.”
Rogers often called himself this.
“You know, I’m not some anti-vaccine flat earther,” he told McAfee in 2020. “I’m a critical thinker.”
Rodgers said his outspokenness cost him friends, teammates and sponsors. Turbulence follows him like a shadow, both on and off the field. Last spring, his tumultuous, years-long divorce from the Packers brought him to New York, where he received a messianic welcome. His first season with the Jets ended in the first quarter of the first game. The team stumbled.
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Rodgers noted during a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he’s “less respected now” than he was a few years ago. Then the conversation returned to the coronavirus controversy. “You stand for something, you stand up for something you believe in bravely, otherwise you say nothing and become a coward,” Rogers said. “I’m not willing to do that.
“I don’t want what I’ve been through to be ignored,” he continued. “Also, I don’t give af—. I make a lot of money playing a sport that I’m really good at, and I’m grateful for that. I have a platform. Some people want you to shut up and throw a football, and that’s fine, But I think there has to be a certain voice of reason…”
That’s what initially attracted Kennedy to Rodgers.
“Aaron Rodgers’ instinct to choose service to others over his own financial gain, his commitment to America’s physical and mental health, his work legalizing psychedelic therapy for veterans and trauma survivors, and his continued belief in The record of courage inspires and moves me,” Kennedy’s campaign manager Amaryllis Fox wrote on X earlier this month.
So it’s fitting that Rogers was attending an annual ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica when the New York Times broke the news that he was one of Kennedy’s top picks for vice president.
There is no evidence that the Jets were aware of this possibility. One can only imagine how quickly jaws hit the floor when the words “Rogers considered for Kennedy vice president” appeared in the team facility. At the NFL conference meeting in Orlando this week — before Kennedy named Shanahan as his running mate and officially ruled Rodgers out — the team’s top brass seemed to downplay their star quarterback considering a short-term, long-term foray. possibilities in politics.
“I didn’t take it very seriously,” general manager Joe Douglas said.
Did Rodgers contact his team to tell them he and Kennedy had spoken?
“He didn’t have to,” coach Robert Saleh said.
So football. Much of Douglas’ offseason money was spent on the Jets’ porous offensive line, which partly contributed to Rodgers’ premature Achilles injury last September. “Now that we’ve tightened the defenses, I hope he feels like he has some candidates for secretary of Homeland Security (and) secretary of defense,” GM joked.
Boss Woody Johnson claimed Rodgers was “roaring off” and was scheduled to return.
That’s a good thing for the Jets. They avoided one distraction. But knowing the quarterback, more is coming.
Zach Rosenblatt contributed to this report.
(Photo of Rogers: Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
