Aaron Rodgers will not spend the 2024 football season splitting time between the New York Jets and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s third-party presidential campaign.
Mediaite reports that the son of the former US attorney general has chosen attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate, leaving Rodgers to focus on Year 2 with the New York Jets.
Kennedy’s campaign previously confirmed that the 40-year-old Rodgers was being considered to be their running mate.
Like Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, Rodgers is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who became an outspoken critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
But while both have been labeled by critics as conspiracy theorists, Rodgers has faced further criticism since one CNN report appeared and claimed he questioned the legitimacy of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut, in which 26 people were killed.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will NOT be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, according to reports
Rodgers is expected to play for the New York Jets this fall, which would disrupt the campaign season. The parliamentary election will be held on Tuesday 5 November
Some, like radio host Alex Jones, have repeatedly accused the victims’ families of being paid actors perpetrating a government hoax at Sandy Hook. In 2022, Jones was ordered to pay $965 million in restitution to the victims’ families.
Rodgers tried to distance himself from that particular conspiracy theory this week, denying on social media that he ever believed the shooting was a government-planned false flag.
Nicole Shanahan, president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, reportedly will be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 running mate
“Again, I hope we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life,” Rodgers said.
“My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the affected families, along with the entire Sandy Hook community,” he added.
Rodgers’ alleged claims, made in private conversations at the 2013 Kentucky Derby, surfaced as rumors swirled that he would be Kennedy’s running mate.
Kennedy himself has previously appeared on Infowars, the channel run by Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Jones. The American politician has also previously promoted several of his own conspiracy theories, including whether the COVID-19 virus is genetically engineered and mass shootings linked to prescription drugs.
After suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon injury four times into his tenure with the Jets in September, Rodgers remained in the news largely thanks to his weekly appearances on the Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers has been open about his disdain for the coronavirus vaccine ever since it became available to NFL players in 2021.
Questioning the legitimacy of COVID treatments and vaccines has been a conspiratorial calling card since the pandemic peaked in 2020.
Kennedy is holding talks with candidates as he gets closer to announcing a candidate
Infowars founder Alex Jones will appear in court to testify in September 2022
Rodgers spent his entire NFL career with the Green Bay Packers until he was traded to the Jets last year.
Former Packers quarterback DeShone Kizer said Rodgers once asked him if he believed the 9/11 terrorist attacks were real, according to NBC Sports.
“The first thing out of Aaron Rodgers’ mouth was, ‘You believe in 9/11?'” Kizer said. ”What? Do I believe in 9/11? Yes, why shouldn’t I?”
Rodgers apparently made a believer out of Kizer, who shared what other conspiracy theories the duo talked about.
“Inner Earth, moon landing, reptilian people,” Kizer said. ‘You’re all laughing. Go do your research, I tell you. Go do your research.’
Rodgers has yet to directly respond to the allegations.