Stalkers drove Aaron Rodgers out of his beach home, the quarterback said Wednesday while addressing the troubles he’s had in living the private life he desires.
The four-time NFL MVP also blasted individuals who’ve tried to dig up information on his wife, calling it an “obsession” by some that he considered “really bizarre.” Rodgers, who had high-profile romantic relationships in the past and a well-documented estrangement from his parents, shared his off-the-field concerns during a lengthy interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“We’re not living at the beach anymore,” said Rodgers, a California native. “Part of it is, I have legitimate stalkers, and I don’t say that lightly or flippantly. I have been getting stalked in my house for about a year and a half when I was living there. Not just that, but stalked at the coffee shop I would frequent, the gym at Proactive that I would go to, which was really bizarre, still is. And then the paparazzi was stalking me for a long time, flying drones over my house. I’ve learned how it has had a bounty on getting a picture of my wife, which I think is very bizarre as well.
“I understand the attention that comes with somebody who’s accomplished what I’ve accomplished,” Rodgers added, “so in no way am I making this a woe is me. But when it comes to your personal safety — and now it’s not just me, it’s me and her — it’s really (expletive) bizarre.”
A soon-to-be free agent, Rodgers revealed after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers last June that he’d married a woman named Brittani in the offseason.
The 42-year-old NFL star had previously dated Hollywood actresses, once hosted the TV game show “Jeopardy!” and had a Netflix documentary made about his life. But Rodgers reiterated Wednesday that once his football career is over, he’ll disappear from public view.
“I lived that life. I didn’t like it,” he said. “I dealt with it. I didn’t like it. Now, I’m out of it. I don’t want to be back in it. I don’t want to be a part of that. I understand when I play, if I play, that there’s scrutiny, there’s attention that comes with it. But I’m fully content on living a private life.
“You have people out there that say (expletive) about me and create these narratives and talk about my wife and talk about this and that, and search for a wedding certificate and all this different (expletive). Like, we’re not living a public life. We’re not going to now, not in the future, not ever. When this is done, it’s Keyzer Soze, and you won’t see me.”
Rodgers’ playing future remains in limbo, having signed only a one-year contract with the Steelers last summer. At the time, he said the 2025 season was likely his last, but the certainty of retirement waned as he and the team played well in stretches late into the season.
But Rodgers has yet to announce if he wants to return to Pittsburgh for another season, retire or play elsewhere. He didn’t reveal any career plans Wednesday but did pull the curtains back slightly on his life away from football.
Rodgers said he has known his wife for nearly a decade but noted that she wasn’t interested in living a public life then or now.
“When we met back in 2017, I knew that there was something crazy special about this, and I wanted to be with her,” Rodgers said. “And she would make funny comments like, ‘I would never live in Green Bay’ and ‘I don’t want to be a player’s wife.’ She’s not a public person. And then she moved back across the pond, and I got myself into crazy town and I was with individuals who called the paparazzi, who leaked or talked about where I was living, coerced me to make the proverbial Instagram social media posts. I never really wanted to live a public life.
“I mean, if you look at the saga with my family for years, that was one sided. They were making shots in the media saying (expletive). I never said anything until it got to the point where I’m like, ‘All right, enough is enough.’ If you look at my Instagram, I think I posted one time and it was a post about the ATVs I got the (offensive linemen). I don’t post on X. I’m not a social media guy anymore.”