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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded on March 14 to a CNN report a day earlier accusing him of sharing false conspiracy theories questioning the legitimacy of the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012.
“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” Rodgers posted on X. “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 a day earlier that Rodgers had, years ago, “shared false Sandy Hook conspiracy theories in private conversations,” basing its reporting on an anonymous source and journalist Pamela Brown, who co-wrote the story.
The CNN story emerged shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign confirmed that RFK Jr. is considering Rodgers to be his vice presidential running mate, along with former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, also a former professional wrestler. Rodgers has not indicated whether he would accept the job if it’s were offered, but he and Ventura “welcomed” the consideration, according to a report by The New York Times.
According to History.com, Adam Lanza murdered 20 first-graders and six school employees at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. He also killed his mother. In a defamation case ruling, talk show host Alex Jones was ordered to pay more than $1 billion in damages to the relatives of children killed after espousing Sandy Hook conspiracy theories, according to Reuters.
Kennedy’s campaign confirmed to Heavy, before the controversy on Sandy Hook broke out, that he is considering Rodgers as his running mate.
“Yes, Mr. Kennedy did share with the New York Times that he’s considering Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura as running mates along with others on a short list,” RFK Jr.’s campaign told Heavy in an email.
Here’s what you need to know:
Aaron Rodgers Was Accused by a CNN Journalist of Saying That the Sandy Hook Mass Shooting ‘Was Actually a Government Inside Job’
According to CNN, Rodgers “shared deranged conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting not being real.”
CNN continued, “CNN knows of two people with whom Rodgers has enthusiastically shared these stories, including with Pamela Brown, one of the journalists writing this piece.”
According to CNN, Brown had a conversation with Rodgers in 2013 at a Kentucky Derby party. According to Brown’s account, Rodgers spoke about “the tragic killing of 20 children and 6 adults by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School, claiming it was actually a government inside job and the media was intentionally ignoring it.”
Brown “recalls Rodgers asking her if she thought it was off that there were men in black in the woods by the school, falsely claiming those men were actually government operatives,” CNN reported. The anonymous source accused Rodgers of saying several years ago, “Sandy Hook never happened. … All those children never existed. They were all actors.”
Comments on Rodgers’ X page were mixed.
“That was clearly a CNN hit piece,” wrote one man.
Another person wrote, “Caught red handed and now trying to backtrack. Lol. Pathetic.”
Yet another person wrote, “Focus on football.”
Aaron Rodgers Spoke About the Sandy Hook Tragedy to a Milwaukee Television Station
Rodgers has previously spoken about the Sandy Hook tragedy to Milwaukee news anchors.
“I hope that we can learn from this and look for the signs more and not ever have something like this happen and keep this on our minds because these are things that affect all of us directly or indirectly,” Rodgers said at the time to Fox 6 Milwaukee. “This needs to be something that we learn from.”
How all of this controversy will affect the Jets is unclear. Shortly before the VP consideration news broke, on March 8, the New York Jets’ website was reporting that Rodgers was hopeful he can “play three to four more seasons.”
That story also reported that Rodgers “will return to the field in 2024 after rupturing his Achilles tendon four snaps into his Jets regular-season debut” in 2023.
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