Aaron Rodgers insisted on Thursday that he’s “never been of the opinion” that the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was fake, responding to a CNN report that accused him of previously floating conspiracy theories about the attack in at least two private conversations.
That Wednesday report came just days after sources close to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Rodgers was on a short list to be his pick for vice president in his long-shot bid for the White House as an Independent.
Rodgers has gained notoriety for his brash outspokenness on controversial issues, including his staunch opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine.
ADVERTISEMENT
In a statement Thursday, however, he appeared more polished in addressing the Sandy Hook allegations.
“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy,” he said. “I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place.”
The CNN report alleged that Rodgers, in speaking with network reporter Pamela Brown at the 2013 Kentucky Derby, told her the news media was covering up important stories—like the fact that the Sandy Hook massacre was really a “government inside job” being “intentionally” ignored by the mainstream media.
Brown said she pushed back against Rodgers, which led him to spew disproven evidence that conspiracists have long claimed was proof the shooting was faked. That reportedly included Rodgers mentioning there were men dressed in black who stood in the woods by the school—men he allegedly claimed were federal operatives.
A second source, who remained anonymous, reportedly told CNN that Rodgers said in a private conversation that “Sandy Hook never happened” and “all those children never existed.”
In a Fox 6 report from 2011, Rodgers said on a broadcast that he hoped the U.S. “could learn” from the mass shooting, adding that the country needs to “keep this on our minds because these are things that affect all of us.”
The New York Jets QB spoke similarly on Thursday, posting to X about the shooting, “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.”
The Sandy Hook massacre claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012—making it one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history.
Despite an abundance of evidence proving the shooting was carried out by 20-year-old Adam Lanza after he fatally shot his mom at their home, conspiracies about the shooting have run rampant in right-wing circles over the last decade.
One of the most infamous theories, parroted by Alex Jones, is that no shooting ever occurred, and it was instead a “false flag” attack perpetrated by the government to help push through stricter gun laws. He also claimed that first responders and grieving family members were “crisis actors.”
Jones was sued by victims’ families for his lies and targeted attacks against them, and is now on the hook for more than $1.5 billion in damages.
