New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has denied reports that he pushed conspiracy theories surrounding the Sandy Hook shooting.
In a post on his X profile, Rodgers, 40, called what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School a “tragedy.”
The football star said: ”I am not and never have been of the opinion that the events did not take place.
“Again, I hope we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life.
‘My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the affected families, along with the entire Sandy Hook community.’
His remarks had come after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign confirmed that he is one of several choices being considered for the presidential nomination.
In a post on his X profile, Rodgers, 40, called what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School a ‘tragedy’
Twenty children were gunned down along with six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012
Neil Heslin, father of six-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Jesse Lewis, wipes away tears as he testifies at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Rodgers’ tweet also came after one CNN report that said Rodgers had shared ‘disturbed’ conspiracy theories about the shooting in private conversations.
Journalist Pamela Brown said she met Rodgers while covering the 2013 Kentucky Derby, who attacked her for working for CNN.
Rodgers is said to have brought up the shooting, which killed 20 children and six adults, saying it was a government inside job.
In response, the attorney representing two Sandy Hook parents is attacking Rodgers for his alleged remarks.
Mark Bankston won $49.3 million from disgraced radio host Alex Jones on behalf of Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of victim Jesse Lewis, in 2022.
Bankston called Rodgers a ‘stupid jock’, ‘defective’ and a ‘slow, gullible person’ who ‘cannot be trusted with important decisions’.
His blistering ‘open letter’, posted on Twitter late on Wednesday night, ended by asking Rodgers: ‘Can you please shut up’.
Bankston started off by joking that the future Hall of Famer would see his post ‘strapped between a tweet claiming the measles vaccine is turning kids gay and an ad for a cryptocurrency scam’.
Firefighters walk to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15, 2012
Rodgers tees off the 10th green at Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament on February 1, 2024
A woman places flowers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School sign on December 15, 2012
He wrote that he was not surprised that Rodgers believed in Sandy Hook conspiracies, as given his long history of bizarre views, ‘I am well aware that you are a slow, gullible person’.
“Unfortunately, I would have to be living under a rock not to notice the frequency with which the media reports on the screwball propaganda you have most recently been swallowing like a hungry trout confronted by a shiny lure,” he continued.
‘To be a poor scoundrel who grabs clappers is perhaps not the greatest sin in this day and age,
“But I can’t fathom how on earth you built up the confidence to think you have anything useful to offer to any of these discussions.”
Bankston shared the famous Greek instruction ‘know thyself’ and told Rodgers to understand his intellectual limitations.
‘You are a stupid jock. God apparently gave you many talents, but critical thinking is not one of them,’ he wrote.
‘With your vast wealth, there’s no reason you can’t hire someone to assess and evaluate basic day-to-day information so you don’t have to. Because you’re not very good at it’.
Steve Wruble stands silently and thinks by the Sandy Hook town sign after shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut, USA. 15 December 2012
Mark Bankston won $49.3 million from disgraced radio host Alex Jones on behalf of Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, parents of victim Jesse Lewis, in 2022
Bankston questions Alex Jones about text messages during the trial at the Travis County Courthouse
Bankston said he already knew this about Rodgers, but was shocked to now discover he was ‘one of those freaks’ who claimed Sandy Hook parents were ‘liars and actors’.
He argued that this ‘crosses a line of no return’.
‘This means that you cannot be trusted with important decisions. That means nobody benefits from listening to you,” he continued.
‘It means you are broken in a fundamental way. It means you are weak and you are desperate to believe what a grifter will happily sell you.
‘It means you are not a leader and never will be. You’re not cut out to be an influencer, a role model, or even an entertaining iconoclast.
‘Cause you’re not eccentric; you are defective. And it’s not a funny joke’.
Rodgers wrote on Twitter after both the CNN story and Bankston’s post that he has previously called the shooting an ‘absolute’ tragedy’.
“I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” he wrote.
“Again, I hope we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life.
‘My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the affected families, along with the entire Sandy Hook community.’
Bankston shared the famous Greek instruction ‘know thyself’, telling Rodgers to understand his intellectual limitations
Rodgers (left) with Kennedy (right). Both are prominent vaccine skeptics, with Kennedy prone to pushing conspiracy theories
Bankston was not convinced by Rodgers’ denial.
“In a rather predictable move, Aaron Rodgers would rather call more people liars than apologize and take responsibility for being a freak,” he wrote.
CNN has another source in addition to Brown, who was granted anonymity for their story, who said several years ago that Rodgers claimed, ‘Sandy Hook never happened… All these kids never existed. They were all actors’.
When the source brought up grieving parents to Rodgers, they recalled the Jets quarterback saying, ‘They’re all making it up. They are all actors.’
During the conversation with Brown, Rodgers is said to have called the shooting ‘a government inside job’ and the media ‘willfully ignored it’.
Brown questioned Rodgers and provided evidence that the Sandy Hook shooting was real. Rodgers responded with ‘various theories’ that had been disproven ‘several times’.
Kennedy will announce his running mate on March 26 in Oakland, Calif., with some linking Rodgers’ hometown of Chico and playing college football at Cal as reasons the city was chosen for the announcement.
He is running as an independent in November’s presidential election, with Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura confirmed as possible vice presidential picks.