Aaron Rodgers reportedly hasn't spoken to his family in 2 years, and some think it's throwing off his game
At 4-5, losers of three straight, the Packers are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
At the center of the Packers' struggles, fair or not, is Rodgers, who has not looked like the best quarterback in the NFL - his usual standard. While some wonder whether this is a result of the Packers' practically nonexistent run game or a cast of mediocre receivers, those close to Rodgers wonder if off-field issues are plaguing him.
In a profile from Bleacher Report's Tyler Dunne, a source close to Rodgers alleges that Rodgers hasn't spoken to his family in two years. It's an issue that came to the surface during the most recent season of "The Bachelorette," during which Aaron's brother Jordan, a contestant on the show, revealed that Aaron is not particularly close to the rest of the family.
The relationship is reportedly so strained that Aaron doesn't accept Christmas presents from his family or give them tickets to games. From Dunne:
"One source, who was close to Rodgers for years but is among the many who have since been cut off by Rodgers entirely, said the quarterback has not spoken to his family since December 2014... Immediate family members don't even have his cellphone number. When Mom and Dad sent Christmas presents to the quarterback and his girlfriend that year, the source said, those gifts were mailed back in February."
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"The family was told they were no longer welcome in Green Bay. If Dad wants to attend a game now, he buys tickets on StubHub or goes through another player's family."
The same source told Dunne that he believes Rodgers is trying to suppress the issue and it's beginning to affect him on the field.
"There's no explanation for him playing any worse. People are trying to figure it out. He's a f--king head case. He knows he's doing the wrong thing, and he's so arrogant and prideful that he thinks he can separate his personal life from his professional life, even though all of us know that's impossible. You can't do that. You can do that in little spurts, like when Brett Favre went out and played amazingly when he loses his Dad. But when you're talking about real situations that aren't all of a sudden circumstantial and you f--k over good people, people you're supposed to love, it's a s--tty thing to do and you're going to get humbled.
"You can't live like that, man. The people who live like that end up getting f--ked over. That's kind of what's happening here, but he's so prideful and will never admit he's wrong. Ever."
Rodgers has never publicly commented on the situation with his family.
It's worth noting that Rodgers is struggling relative to the bar he's set for himself. This season, Rodgers is completing 63% of his passes and has thrown 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and an average of 267 yards per game. However, he's also on pace to throw his most interceptions since 2010, his passer rating is down, and during some losses, his lofty numbers have felt hollow.
Packers players acknowledge that, despite deficiencies on the roster, Rodgers has to be the person to lead the Packers out of their slump. While it's unclear what, exactly, is bothering Rodgers and the team, the alleged personal strife in his life might not be helping matters.