I appreciated these posts. I know bringing religion into online forums doesn't always go well, so apologies in advance if it turns south, but in a lot of ways Rodgers kind of reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. We know Rodgers was raised in a religious household, and from what I can recall in his early years in the league he would still describe himself as a Christian too. And of course I don't claim to know how the whole process went for him but if we go back we can pretty clearly see how he starts having more questions, more doubts, more outside influences slipping and so on*, and over time he starts to walk back some of those beliefs, to the point where now I'm pretty sure he most recently says he doesn't really prescribe to any organized belief system or "believe in" organized religion at all at this point. (I do think he has also noted that his "questioning" and strife with his family have kind of gone hand-in-hand too, FWIW)
*and these are not inherently bad things themselves, I don't mean to send that message. But for better or worse they have been pivotal factors on his "path" I think.
And so I feel like in a lot of ways you have this guy who is already a bit insecure (we all know the famous "chip on the shoulder" from draft night) and sees an opportunity to make a name for himself and takes it (also not a bad thing in and of itself). He wins a Super Bowl relatively early on and gets all the success a player could really hope for in the league. He has people talking about how he's one of the most talented players to EVER play the game, he's one of the biggest names in sports, he's fabulously wealthy. And I don't want to project too much, but I guess it's like...there's always been a sense that none of that stuff has ever been enough, still.
I'd also say that in some ways I understand the "Rodgers is a complicated guy" bit, but I'd also push back and say that most of us are probably more "complicated guys" than we might like to admit. We just don't live out our "complications" under a microscope in the view of millions. And I think Rodgers truly is a wicked smart guy, but sometimes too smart for his own good, a guy who perhaps at times misses the forest for the trees. But he is also a stubborn and proud guy and I suspect one who does not take correction or "pushback" particularly well. As is the case with many celebrities, I have to wonder how many of them have someone in their life who is willing to tell them no or call them out. It is not healthy to the psyche to only be surrounded by yes men and "friends" who know that they can be cut out of a person's life at a moment's notice if they don't tell that person what they want to hear. Again - don't want to project too much or claim to know more than I do, but I have to wonder if Rodgers has anyone in his life who's seriously willing to have hard "life" conversations with him.
So, I don't know, I'm kind of rambling a little bit and that's not as organized a post as I'd initially set out to type, but I guess all that to say like...It just kind of feels to me like Rodgers is a guy who is smart enough to realize exactly what it is he is missing while also being too stubborn to admit it (both to himself and/or others). It makes me a little sad, honestly. One of my favorite athletes, and honestly I really do believe (as best as I can assess from hundreds of miles away with no real personal connection/experience) him to be a genuinely good-hearted guy deep down, but also just a guy who seems really lost and it just kinda bums me out when I think too much about it, haha.
