Steelers Now
On Monday night, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’s been estranged from his parents and close family for more than a decade, posted a series of photos on Instagram with his loved ones.
Rodgers captioned the post, “Another bonding week #fam.”
Ian O’Connor, the author of “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” revealed on X that Rodgers and his family had been working towards reconciliation for a while.
Rodgers’ parents were in attendance for his induction into Pleasant Valley High School Hall of Fame in April.
“Rodgers invited parents Ed & Darla to his Pleasant Valley High School Hall of Fame induction in April & introduced them to the crowd to applause, thanked them for their support,” O’Connor wrote. “In my book, Rodgers spoke of embracing his father at the Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament in 2023 and expressing their love for each other and called it “a special moment,” first time they had contact in nearly 9 years. That opened the door. At the time Rodgers called a reconciliation “definitely possible” and a matter of timing. The timing was right last night for the Steelers quarterback to make it public with his photos on Instagram.
O’Connor also revealed that Rodgers’ junior college coach at Butte, Craig Rigsbee, played a big factor in the four-time NFL MVP reuniting with his family.
“Rodgers’ juco coach, Craig Rigsbee, was among the longtime friends who encouraged him to reunite with his family. Aaron praised Rigsbee at the PV induction ceremony for the impact he’s had on his life,” O’Connor wrote.
Rodgers stopped talking to his parents around 2014 due to conflicts over his fame and lifestyle choices. His parents disapproval of his girlfriend at the time, actress Olivia Munn.
The friction between Rodgers and his family became public in 2016 when his younger brother Jordan appeared on the reality television show The Bachelorette. Jordan revealed that Aaron had distanced himself from the family. Aaron was also livid that the family left two empty seats at the dinner table during one episode of The Bachelorette. The seats were intended for him and his then-girlfriend.
Jordan Rodgers was not in the photos that Aaron posted, but his brother Luke was.
In March, Aaron Rodgers opened up on his rocky relationship with his family on The Pat McAfee Show.
“If you look at the saga with my family, for years it was one-sided,” Rodgers said. “They were making shots in the media saying bullshit. I never said anything until it got to the point where I’m like, ‘All right, enough is enough.’”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Aaron Rodgers’ Junior College Coach Played Factor in Reconciliation with Family
