Aaron Rodgers is denying a report that he referred to the Sandy Hook massacre as an “inside job” by the government.
A report from Pamela Brown and Jake Tapper of CNN on Wednesday afternoon claimed the Jets quarterback said at least twice that the December 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where Adam Lanza gunned down 26 people, was a “government inside job” being ignored by the media.
Rodgers rebuffed those claims on social media Thursday afternoon.
“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy,” Rodgers said on X/Twitter. “I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place.
“Again, I hope that 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 families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.”
CNN reported that the news organization knew of two people with whom Rodgers shared his beliefs about the Sandy Hook shooting. One of those people is Pamela Brown, an anchor and investigative reporter at the network. She was reportedly introduced to Rodgers at a post-Kentucky Derby party in 2013 when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers.
In the explosive report, CNN said Rodgers brought up the tragic killing of 20 children and six adults by Lanza at the Connecticut elementary school and said the media was “intentionally ignoring it” and that they covered up “important stories.”
CNN also said they had spoken to another person with a similar story regarding Rodgers. However, that person was granted anonymity to avoid harassment.
Rodgers, 40, who suffered a torn Achilles just four plays into his first season with the Jets last September, has been a frequent peddler of wacky conspiracy theories and misinformation in recent years — including on his paid weekly guest appearances on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”
The CNN report comes just days after Rodgers was linked to Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. long-shot bid for the White House. Kennedy Jr. — who shares the NFL star’s anti-vaccine stance — said in an interview with CNN that he had “made up his mind” on his vice president running mate from a list that included Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.
“We wanted somebody who was aligned with my values, optimistic about our country and its potential and able to run the country at a moment’s notice,” Kennedy said about a potential running mate.
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