Aaron Rodgers at the Magic Room at the LVMH Tower on October 30, 2023 in New York City.Photo:Chance Yeh/WireImage
Chance Yeh/WireImage
Aaron Rodgershas issued a response following a new report that alleges he pushed “deranged” conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Shortly afterRobert F. Kennedy Jr.revealed that he was considering the New York Jets quarterback as his running mate in the 2024 presidential election,CNNpublished a report that alleged the 40-year-old athlete had previously claimed that the massacre was a government inside job.
OnX (formerly Twitter)Thursday, Rodgers shared a statement denying the report and calling the massacre “an absolute tragedy.”
Aaron Rodgers appears at a September 2023 game at MetLife Stadium.Elsa/Getty
Elsa/Getty
“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place,” Rodgers wrote on the platform.
“Again, 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.”
As for Rodgers, Kennedy (running as an Independent candidate) named him as a potential VP candidate pick in an interview withThe New York Times, in which he also mentioned former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. A representative for Rodgers didn’t respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment at the time.
A Kennedy campaign spokesperson told CNN this week that Kennedy believes the Sandy Hook shooting was a “horrific tragedy.”
“Mr. Kennedy believes the Sandy Hook shooting was a horrific tragedy. The 20 children and 6 adults that died December 14, 2012 brought the entire country together in grief. Let us honor their memory,” Kennedy spokesperson Stefanie Spear told the outlet.
The politician claimed at the time of hisTimesinterview that he had been “pretty continuously” communicating with Rodgers over the span of a month.Rodgers previously endorsed Kennedy in 2023, and most recently shared Kennedy’s response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to X.
The Democratic National Committee shared astatementabout Kennedy’s running mate announcement on Tuesday, calling it the “Three Stooges reunion no one was asking for.”
Kennedy is running for the presidency against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
source: people.com
