The Green Bay Packers have the reigning NFL MVP lining up for them at quarterback this season, but the complexities of Aaron Rodgers‘ personality extend well beyond the lines of the football field.
The NFL has not issued any statement on the quarterback since he revealed during a podcast Wednesday that he used a plant-based hallucinogenic called ayahuasca while visiting South America in 2020.
It is not clear what punishing powers, if any, the league has at its disposal via its code of conduct policy, especially considering that Rodgers’ was only a verbal admission about drug activity that took place years ago on a different continent. However, the United States government classifies ayahuasca as a Schedule I drug, which places it in the same category with heroin, LSD (commonly known as acid), ecstasy and marijuana.
Ayahuasca also contains a substance banned by the NFL known as DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine). That fact could potentially open up a different can of worms for Rodgers, though any attempt by the NFL to punish him for such violation would not be supported by a positive drug test — unless the QB has continued using the hallucinogen since returning from South America and tests positive subsequently.
Were Rodgers to miss any games in 2022 for whatever reason, former first-round draft pick and third-year backup quarterback Jordan Love would fill in under center.
ALL the latest Packers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Packers newsletter here!
Former NFL Player Suggests League is Unhappy With Rodgers
GettyShannon Sharpe after being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 5, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Shannon Sharpe, a former NFL tight end and prominent sports analyst on Fox, spoke to TMZ Sports on Friday and said he believes Rodgers may have made himself some trouble with commissioner Roger Goodell by admitting drug use.
I don’t know the NFL is too happy about him taking hallucinogenics. I’m sure the commissioner is going to reach out and have a conversation with him. I’m sure the NFL is probably going to give him a call and say, “That’s not a good look.”
[Rodgers’ use of ayahuasca] seems weird to me. But whatever helps a person become a better person and find his inner-self, I’m cool with it.
Packers’ QB Rodgers Said Drug Use Led to Best Seasons of Career
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks on during a timeout in the fourth quarter of a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rodgers opened up about his use of the hallucinogenic and how it helped him become a more successful football player as part of the August 3 edition of the Aubrey Marcus Podcast.
The reason the experience was useful, Rodgers continued, is because it allowed him to “love [himself] unconditionally.” He said the results were improved mental health and improved relationships with his colleagues, which Rodgers credited directly with helping him win consecutive MVP Awards over the last two seasons.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I really don’t. I don’t really believe in coincidences at this point. It’s the universe bringing things to happen when they’re supposed to happen.
There [are] signs and synchronicities all around us at all times — if we’re awake enough to see them and to take them in and to listen to our intuition when it’s speaking to us or pounding us in the head saying, “Hey dummy, this is what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Whatever the reason, it is hard to argue that his last two seasons haven’t been the best of Rodgers’ career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named a First-Team All Pro both years while leading the entire league in QB rating.
Over those two campaigns, Rodgers also racked up 8,414 passing yards and 85 touchdowns compared to only nine interceptions. He also rushed for 250 yards and six touchdowns.
Comments
Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers May Face NFL Reprimand For Admitted Drug Use