In the new docuseries “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma,” the New York Jets quarterback brings viewers inside his world. Rodgers comes across as a hypercompetitive athlete who struggled with stardom after winning a Super Bowl in 2011, leading to an identity crisis that pushed him to rebel against family and organised religion in three one-hour episodes that will be released on Netflix on Tuesday. He realises his actual self through a spiritual journey that includes psychedelics, or “plant medicine,” as he calls them.
In the second episode, we see Rodgers on an ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica last offseason, smoking a giant pipe, drinking a brownish liquid that looks like mud water, dancing, playing the bongos, and describing the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly while appearing glassy-eyed and quite giddy (wink).
Rodgers has previously discussed his interest in ayahuasca and how it has affected his life and career, but seeing him participate in an actual ceremony is entirely different. You may not agree with his opinions or approach to life, but it’s a captivating watch.
“It’s the hardest medicine I’ve tried,” he adds in the documentary. “It’s a deeply intense spiritual journey.” The docuseries chronicles his life experience, including his 2023 Achilles injury and the arduous rehabilitation process.
There are no major revelations in terms of football. The most compelling events are off-the-field, most notably his infamous estrangement from his family. Rodgers rarely discloses his personal life, so this is really noteworthy.
Rodgers claims he only witnessed his father, Ed, cry once, which he feels contributed to “some stunted emotional intelligence.” Rodgers also claims that he “grew up in a very white, dogmatic church, which just didn’t really serve me.” It was quite rigid in construction.”
The feud allegedly began in 2014, a couple years after Rodgers gained celebrity status with the Green Bay Packers. He claims he was “hurt” after his family informed him, “Your life is too big.”
“It wasn’t like I was super-duper close with everybody in the family,” he confides. “In reality, it stems from high school experiences that left me feeling alienated. Stuff from college and post-college.
And I kept quiet about it. Because I believed that the best approach to handle the situation was to avoid discussing it in public. “And what do they do?”
Rodgers blames his family for making the divide public after his younger brother, Jordan, participated on “The Bachelorette” in 2016. He still dislikes the home visit to meet the family, which is a recurring theme in the TV series. “They go on a bulls— show and leave two empty chairs,” according to Rodgers.
“They all agree that this was a good thing to do, to leave two empty chairs on a stupid dating show that my brother just went on to get famous?”
Rodgers claims he was never invited and would not have come regardless.
The docuseries does not feature any interviews with family members. For the record, Rodgers says he’s open to reconciliation, but adds, “We’re at different stages of our journeys.” Rodgers, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, suffers with this.
He states, “Something is wrong with me because I’m not perfect.” He grew up in Chico, California, fantasising of becoming the Super Bowl MVP. When he reaches his goal at the age of 28, he begins to ponder if there is more to life than football, which sparks his spiritual journey.
The docuseries focusses on his COVID-19 scandal in 2021, when he responded to a query regarding his vaccination status with, “Yeah, I’m immunised.” It blew up when he tested positive and missed a game, resulting in a fall from grace. “A witch hunt,” he calls it.
Rodgers discusses his football future, but he doesn’t give any specifics on whether he plans to play in 2025.
“There’s a football legacy and a character legacy,” he adds in a pre-season interview. “The Hall of Fame cements football’s legacy. Character legacy is being established on a daily basis, and it is far more significant to me.
“It could be the last year,” he adds. After a pause, he glances at the cameras and says, “Or it could not be.”
Enigma indeed.