Ian O’Connor got the golden opportunity to have an exclusive sit-down interview with Aaron Rodgers for his new book – but it was not that easy to get it done.
The famed author is releasing his biography on what he calls “the most polarizing athlete in maybe all of sports, but certainly the NFL” next week, and he had actually finished his book, originally, without Rodgers’ own words in it.
He sent the manuscript, without Rodgers, in February, and heard a month later that Rodgers was finally willing to speak with him.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers attends an introductory press conference at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on April 26, 2023 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
However, with his family drama, it is pretty clear that Rodgers keeps a close-knit circle of trust that one best not break. So, when O’Connor approached those closest to the New York Jets quarterback, many were reluctant, and it was a “challenge.”
“A lot of people were afraid to talk about him. His friends and close associates, I think, assumed I had an agenda looking to destroy him maybe on his vax stance, which I had absolutely no intention of doing,” O’Connor told OutKick’s “Hot Mic.” “It took a while to win the trust of people close to him, and then ultimately, to convince him to sit down with me, which he did in February, and that certainly made it a better book.”
O’Connor said he had gone through the Jets, Rodgers’ agent and Rodgers himself to try to get him to speak for the book, even sending him his other books to try to convince him.
“I wanted to get across to him this is a deadly serious work to me,” O’Connor said.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, #12, waves to fans as he leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Eventually, O’Connor said he simply became persistent enough, to the point where Rodgers was game.
“I think I wore him down. I contacted so many of his friends going back to childhood, and they would text him for permission to talk to me, and ultimately, that won him over.”
O’Connor knew he had to get deep into Rodgers’ personal life, particularly about his family, to make it a complete project. To his surprise, Rodgers was a pretty open book, despite the hurt.
“He didn’t love that part of the conversation, but one thing I did appreciate about Aaron was I said to him ‘do you understand why it’s necessary as a biographer for me to cover this in this book? How can I write the story of your life without covering this 10-year estrangement?’ And he said ‘no, I understand. You have to do it.’
“So I appreciate it, because I think a lot of superstar athletes would not have understood that – in fact, I know of a couple would have said ‘just write about my career. Why are you writing about my family, anyway?’ He was smart enough to see that that was necessary to paint the full portrait of his career and his life… It wasn’t a fun process, but he was willing to engage,” O’Connor said.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks to reporters at the team’s NFL football facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)
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“Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” the title of course being a play on his infamous darkness retreat, will be released on Aug. 21.
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