Aaron Rodgers isn’t your typical quarterback. Not only is the future Hall of Famer capable of otherworldly things on the field, but his sense of humor, level of intelligence, and unconventional spirituality work against long-held NFL stereotypes. Despite his lengthy career, growing reel of commercial work, and canned post-game interviews that have given fans a glimpse of what makes one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game tick, Rodgers has been a closed book in regard to his personal life for the most part.
However, he recently was a guest on “You Made It Weird,” the popular podcast of comedian and actor Pete Holmes, and opened up about a number of things over the course of the two-hour conversation. The rare long-form discussion grants listeners a look at Rodgers’ inner workings, ranging from his views on religion, his love for vegan burgers, what goes through his mind during games, and more. A highlight of the altogether interesting interaction comes early on, when Rodgers recounts seeing what he refers to as “a UFO” with Cal teammate Steve Levy in New Jersey in 2005.
“It was a large orange, left-to-right-moving object. Because of the overcast nature of the night and the snow, you couldn’t make out—it was kind of behind the clouds we were seeing, but it was definitively large, moving from left to right. It was me, Steve [Levy], and his brother that saw it. And it goes out of sight and we look at each other and go ‘What in the fuck was that?'”
Beyond the brief UFO recollection, Rodgers talks about his love for northeast Wisconsin (which he calls “a special place”), his friendship with Bart Starr, the connection between science and religion, reincarnation, what he feels the meaning of life is, and the underdog rationale behind his tireless work ethic. Before show’s end, Holmes tries (and fails) to get Rodgers to tell him whether he masturbates before games.
“I want to be calm out there, so I’m never opposed to it. You got to be nice and relaxed out there, so whatever is gonna put me in that state, man.”
Listen to the podcast in full and fall in love with Aaron Rodgers all over again.