Aaron Rodgers is done staying quiet about his split from Danica Patrick. The Steelers quarterback, now 41, fired back at the former race car driver's claims of emotional abuse, painting a starkly different picture of their time together.
During an appearance on the Not Just Football podcast with teammate Cam Heyward, Rodgers didn't mince words. He said Patrick, 45, was in a dark place when they were dating, calling her "depressed" and "not fun" to be around. "I dated Danica. She had just retired. She was depressed and not fun to be around, but I didn't leave her because I was trying to be there and be a good partner," Rodgers explained.
The couple dated for several years before calling it quits in July 2020, during the height of the pandemic. They had been living together in California. Rodgers recalled that as their relationship soured, he found himself in a tough spot. "There was no intimacy. There was nothing," he said. He even mentioned that when he was looking to buy a house in Malibu, Patrick asked if they should purchase it together—and he turned her down.
Rodgers also addressed the couples counseling they tried, saying it didn't change the trajectory. And he pushed back hard on Patrick's narrative that she was blindsided by the breakup. "She tells a story that, 'I was so blindsided by getting left by you, and he leaves a trail of blood around.' I'm like what are you talking about? That is not what happened by any means," he said.
Patrick had previously told Sage Steele that Rodgers was "emotionally abusive" and that he "leaves a trail of blood." She described feeling like her confidence was shattered. "People could never imagine that I would lack … any confidence or belief in the simple things about who I am. Everything was torn to bits," she said.
Rodgers, however, believes his side of the story has been unfairly ignored. He said the same thing happened with his relationship with actress Shailene Woodley, who he was engaged to after Patrick. "There's Danica with her story, a trail of blood, blindsided by me leaving her and alright, there's zero intimacy, didn't want to buy a house there was really nothing there. Then I date Shailene," he said.
The quarterback also took aim at the broader narrative that he's difficult to get along with, including claims that his own family has issues with him. "Forever, what people hit me on all the time was he's such a (expletive), even his family hates him. Nobody knew anything that was going on with it," he said.
Rodgers' comments come as he prepares for his first season with the Steelers. He's already made headlines for his candid takes on ESPN and other topics, and this latest exchange is sure to keep the spotlight on him. For more on his recent remarks about the network, check out Rodgers' criticism of ESPN.
As for the ongoing feud with Patrick, it seems neither side is ready to let the other have the last word. But Rodgers is clearly done holding back.
