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Aaron Rodgers Says He Bears No 'ill Will' Toward His Family and is Open to 'reconciliation'

by Tasha Mayberry

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The Rodgers family feud first captured public attention in 2016, when Aaron’s younger brother, Jordan, appeared as a contestant on JoJo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette.

In one of the season’s final episodes, which included hometown visits, Jordan brought JoJo—now his wife—home for dinner with his parents and siblings. However, the absence of Aaron and his then-girlfriend Olivia Munn was marked by two conspicuously empty chairs at the table. During the episode, Jordan and his older brother, Luke, discussed the long-standing rift between Aaron and the rest of the family.

Reflecting on the incident in his Netflix docuseries, Aaron shares his frustration with how the situation was handled. “I stayed quiet because I thought the best way to approach it was to not talk about it publicly,” he says. “And what did they do? They go on a bulls— show and leave two empty chairs. They all decided it was a good idea—to leave two empty chairs on some stupid dating show my brother went on just to get famous—his words, not mine—that he ended up winning. And for a dinner during the [NFL] season that I was never invited to—not that I would’ve gone.”

In the new docuseries, the New York Jets quarterback also reflects on the impact of fame on personal relationships. “Fame can definitely change the people around your circle because it can be intoxicating,” Aaron says, adding that his own rise to stardom altered many of his relationships with friends and family.

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Brink is one of the final players to join the groundbreaking professional women’s basketball league, which will feature six club teams competing in a fast-paced, condensed full-court style of play. She’s stepping into the wildcard spot on the Lunar Owls Basketball Club, joining league cofounder Napheesa Collier.

“It’s a great way to train differently and develop your skills outside of five-on-five basketball,” Brink says of the league’s unique format. “It’s going to be completely different, and I think it’ll really help players improve their game in all aspects. Steph thinks it’s a really cool concept too.”

Curry and Brink share a special family connection that dates back to before their births when their parents became close friends at Virginia Tech. The Brinks are godparents to the Curry siblings, and the Currys, in turn, are godparents to Cameron.

This bond makes Cameron the godsister of Stephen, Seth, and Sydel Curry. “They’re both huge role models for me, so their support means everything,” Brink shared with PEOPLE in March, speaking of Stephen and Seth.

Rodgers’ estrangement from his family has continued in the years following the Bachelorette revelation.

In 2017, the quarterback’s father made headlines when he spoke with The New York Times about their family dynamics, acknowledging that “fame can change things.”

Since then, Rodgers’ relationship with his family has remained inconsistent. His comments on religion in 2020 further strained the relationship, despite an apparent attempt to reconnect with his parents around his 35th birthday two years earlier. In early 2022, a source told PEOPLE that Rodgers had begun to “talk a little bit” with his brother, Jordan, although he did not attend Jordan’s wedding later that year.

Most recently, Rodgers shared that a 2023 darkness retreat gave him the time to reflect on “things that happened in my childhood that I was able to sit with and heal,” hinting at the possibility of reconciliation, as mentioned in his docuseries.