While Aaron Rodgers might only have one Super Bowl ring in his collection so far, he is inarguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to play in the league, with four MVP titles. After becoming the 24th overall pick in 2005, the legend ended his 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers with the spectacular stats of 475 career touchdowns.
A-Rod switched to the New York Jets last season to start a new leg of his career, which was halted by an unfortunate Achilles injury. While Rodgers has had his share of eccentric takes, one thing that the quarterback feels he has been misunderstood about is his opinion on ayahuasca.
Aaron Rodgers opens up about the backlash faced for his views on ayahuasca
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The New York Jets quarterback has always been vocal about his use of the South American brew, ayahuasca, which is traditionally used for spiritual healing purposes. In a conversation on the ‘I Can Fly’ podcast, Rodgers shared how he had to face quite a lot of backlash when he would “correct” people for referring to ayahuasca as a “drug.” He further explained how the “plant” works.
“I mean, I’ve gotten some shit over the years for really correcting people when they say ‘drug’ and reminding them, ‘plant’,” said Rodgers. “It’s obviously, you know, two plants that come together to allow your body to break down the DMT. Drugs are substances that are associated with addiction to me, and plants or fungi are not.”
Rodgers talked about his experience with ayahuasca, having tried the brew from three lineages. He feels that “[the] plant medicine gives you exactly what you need” and had previously credited it with helping with his pursuit of winning MVP titles.
Rodgers believes ayahuasca got him “a couple MVPs”
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The four-time MVP hasn’t been shy of advocating for “plant medicine” and even quoted his success in the years following his trip as ample proof. The quarterback had some relatively slow years play-wise after a series of injuries, but that changed after he tried ayahuasca in 2020.
Initially hesitant to talk about his endeavor with the brew, Rodgers opened up about his experience two years later, and his views have been consistent ever since. After a drought of five years, A-Rod made a comeback and won two back-to-back MVP titles in 2020 and 2021.
“I said I’m doing it… that was in 2019,” Rodgers said. “And I did it in 2020 in March. And the rest is history, yeah, a couple good football seasons that followed couple MVPs.”
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While Aaron Rodgers’ reverence of ayahuasca might be a topic of debate, one thing is for sure, which is his NFL legacy. His touchdowns to interceptions ratio of 475-105 remains one of the best in the league. The ten-time Pro Bowl achiever returns to the New York Jets in the upcoming season with renewed energy and enthusiasm to make up for the lost 2023 season.
