Jets quarterback and potential vice presidential candidate Aaron Rodgers reportedly questioned the validity of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in separate conversations with two people, one of which took place in 2013, according to a CNN report that was published Wednesday afternoon.
Rodgers, floated as a possible running mate this week by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shared the controversial comments in private conversations, including one with CNN journalist Pamela Brown during the Kentucky Derby, the report says.
The Jets had no comment to The Post on the CNN report and a representative for Rodgers did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut that killed 20 children and six adults has been the basis for conspiracy theories claiming that the tragedy was staged and the victims were so-called “crisis actors.”
That was the basis of one reported conversation that Rodgers had about Sandy Hook.
The individual claimed to CNN that Rodgers had said during a conversation several years ago that “Sandy Hook never happened” and that “all those children had never existed.”
“They’re all making it up. They’re all actors,” the unnamed person said Rodgers asserted about the parents of the victims, who they said Rodgers also believed were actors.
Brown had her own experience with Rodgers following the 2013 Kentucky Derby when she also claimed that the potential political figure had espoused similar feelings about the Sandy Hook shooting.
After learning that Brown was a journalist for CNN, Rodgers began attacking the news media for covering up stories and then at some point said that the shooting had been “a government inside job” and the media was ignoring the story, according to the report.
After pushing back on Rodgers’ claims, the future football Hall-of-Famer cited numerous disproven theories to back up his case.
All of this comes 24 hours after a spokesperson for Kennedy, an Independent presidential candidate, confirmed to The Post that Rodgers, along with former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, was being considered as a running mate.
The news sent a collective shockwave across the political and sports world as the idea of Rodgers out on the campaign trail gained some legitimacy.
Rodgers, whose first Jets season ended after just four plays due to an Achilles injury, was on an ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica at the time of the RFK Jr. report, according to ESPN’s Pat McAfee, and it is unclear if he was aware of the statements.
The two men have shared common beliefs on a number of topics, including public health policy and the COVID-19 vaccines.
Kennedy is set to announce his choice for vice president on March 26 in Oakland, Calif.
It’s unclear whether Wednesday’s report could influence Kennedy’s decision.
