Aaron Rodgers Is Floating Conspiracy Theories About the U.S. Downing UFOs

Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, is no stranger to right-wing talking points. He’s a proud anti-vaxxer and has railed against the “woke mob” coming to “cancel” him, all while insisting he’s not a conspiracy theorist — only a “free thinker.”

Rodgers has apparently been thinking freely about the spate of high-altitude objects the U.S. has downed over the past week, too. The four-time NFL MVP floated on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that the hubbub surrounding the UFOs is a manufactured ploy to distract the public.

“It’s interesting timing on everything,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of other things going on in the world.”

McAfee prodded Rodgers for more. Rodgers obliged him, sarcastically claiming the government would never try to misdirect the nation’s attention. McAfee mentioned the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. “There’s some wild shit going on right now, Aaron,” he said.

Rodgers agreed. “Did you hear about the Epstein client list about to be released?” he said. “There’s some files that have some names on them that might be getting released pretty soon. [Ghislaine] Maxwell was the only person ever convicted of trafficking and nobody who was involved in the trafficking ever went to jail. Nothing to see here.”

Rodgers is far from the only “free thinker” to suggest the U.S. may have ulterior motives in shooting down three UFOs in as many days.

The right-wing pundit class has been pushing the idea that the government wants to divert attention from the train derailment in East Palestine. “Ohio: Dead fish and cattle being reported as far as 100 miles away from the site. Journalists covering the story have been arrested. What the HELL is going on?” wrote far-right conspiracy theorist Stew Peters in a tweet that has been shared well over 100,000 times since he posted it on Monday. Peters added on Tuesday that the “fake Balloon fiasco is a red herring.”

Republican politicians have also tried to make hay out of the fact that two news cycles are happening simultaneously. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted on Sunday that it’s all a distraction from the train derailment in East Palestine. “East Palestine, Ohio is undergoing an ecological disaster bc authorities blew up the train derailment cars carrying hazardous chemicals and press are being arrested for trying to tell the story,” she wrote. “Oh but UFO’s! What is going on?” 

Rodgers has had plenty of time to entertain conspiracy theories since the Packers were eliminated from playoff contention last month. Many have speculated he could start the 2023 season on a different team, possibly the New York Jets, who have already asked the Packers if there’s a way they can acquire him. Rodgers told McAfee last week that he’s going to sort out his plans for the future on a darkness retreat.