Aaron Rodgers is opening up about the woman behind his family’s emotional reunion. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback credits his wife Brittani for encouraging him to mend fences with his parents and brother after more than a decade of estrangement.
“A big part of it was getting married and having those conversations with my wife that allowed me to kind of open up to the possibility of coming together,” Rodgers told NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt. He emphasized that Brittani never pushed him, but her love and support made the difference. “She never was [pushing me], but just the way that she loves and supports me, having her by my side during this process has been really special”.
The rift first became public in 2016 when his younger brother Jordan discussed their estrangement on The Bachelorette. The family hadn’t been close since 2014, with Rodgers later opening up about tension over his parents’ religious beliefs and his brother’s decision to air their drama on reality TV.
The reconciliation has been a gradual process. Rodgers invited his parents to his high school Hall of Fame induction in April, where he thanked them for their support. Then in July, he shared Instagram photos from a bonding weekend in Nashville with his parents, brother Luke, and their children. “Another bonding week,” he captioned the post, his first public acknowledgment of the reunion.
“All of them,” Rodgers emphasized when describing who he reconnected with. “I got to be an uncle. It’s just really special”. The quarterback says his personal life has come “full circle” in the past year, and he’s “thankful” that part of his life has “come all the way back around”.
