Aaron Rodgers’ family feud has been making headlines for years — but the reason behind his estrangement with older brother Luke Rodgers has remained a mystery.
Aaron, 40, reportedly had a falling-out with his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, while in a relationship with Olivia Munn. Aaron denied that Munn, whom he dated from 2014 to 2017, had anything to do with the rift in Ian O’Connor’s new book, Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, which hit shelves on Tuesday, August 20.
The author also gave insight into why Aaron and Luke, 42, have been at odds since the 2010s. (Aaron and his youngest brother, Jordan Rodgers, had a falling-out around the same time, which Jordan, 35, hinted at during his time on The Bachelorette in 2016.)
According to O’Connor, Luke and Aaron’s feud came to a head in May 2015 after Aaron committed to being the best man in his former college teammate and roommate Francis Blay-Miezah’s wedding but allegedly pulled out the night before the ceremony.
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Luke attended the wedding alongside his parents and later posted photos with hashtags seemingly pointed at Aaron’s absence. “#truefriendsshowup … #wouldntmissitfortheworld … #rememberwhereyoucamefrom,” Luke wrote alongside reception snaps, per the book.
Aaron allegedly felt that Blay-Miezah “could and should have honored his request to not invite his family” to the ceremony. The NFL quarterback argued in the book that his former University of California, Berkeley teammate didn’t understand “the complexity of the whole situation” when he kept the Rodgers family on the guest list.
A family friend, meanwhile, told O’Connor that the wedding was “the last straw for Luke.” According to the insider, “It was like, ‘Who are you? I don’t even want to f–kin’ know you anymore.’”
Prior to the wedding mishap, Luke and Aaron were “close enough to live together in Green Bay and in Del Mar,” O’Connor wrote.
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During the early days of Aaron’s career with the Green Bay Packers, Luke was a bartender and sports marketing consultant. He later launched his Pro Merch apparel company with partner Austin Casselman, which included shirts with Aaron’s face on them in his team colors.
The brand eventually signed a deal with Target and agreements with Aaron, Chicago’s Devin Hester, Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch, Houston’s Arian Foster and 49ers star Patrick Willis and more for their name and likeness.
However, the T-shirt business soon became a point of contention between the siblings. Aaron was “on board with Pro Merch early on, until he wasn’t,” O’Connor alleged.
Aaron claimed that he helped Luke and Casselman land a group licensing agreement with the NFLPA but wasn’t interested in being a founder “because I had nothing to do with it, and [Luke] was selling shirts with my picture on it.”
According to Casselman, a “Relax” shirt with Aaron’s face on it “sold tens of thousands in a short amount of time” in 2014. Aaron was asked about it before the playoffs that season, saying, “Well, I can tell you I’ve seen zero of that money,” per O’Connor.
Luke, meanwhile, allegedly grew “frustrated” when Aaron reportedly didn’t “get back to him on design approval in a timely fashion while he was in-season with the Packers.”
Aaron was reportedly “not a fan” of his brother using his likeness on the shirts, but he claimed Pro Merch wasn’t part of the reason he wasn’t close with Luke now. Aaron told the author that their issues “started way before” they butted heads over the merchandise deal.
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Although Luke declined to be interviewed for the book, the author continued to dive into his problems with Aaron. In addition to the shirt struggles, Aaron allegedly was “unhappy” that Luke appeared on 2012’s Clean Break series, which was a show about men escaping their everyday lives for adventure in Hawaii.
“Aaron was annoyed by the notion that Luke needed to break free from his shadow after he provided him with financial support,” O’Connor alleged.
In the spring of 2015, Luke allegedly tried to sit down with Aaron to talk about their rift shortly after Aaron filmed Celebrity Jeopardy! The New York Jets quarterback, however, canceled the meeting because he had to drive then-girlfriend Munn to a film set in the desert.
Aaron reportedly texted Luke that he was “committed to his girlfriend and unavailable to meet,” O’Connor wrote, noting that the exchange was “believed to be the last communication between the two for years.”
Although Aaron and Luke remained estranged, Luke did comment on his brother’s career in March 2017. “I think he’s got a lot left in the tank,” Luke told TMJ4 at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis at the time. “Quarterback is such a cerebral position that even as you age — look what Tom Brady was able to do, your arm may start to deteriorate, Aaron’s hasn’t. Your feet may slow down, I don’t think he’s slowed down either.”
Luke acknowledged that he hadn’t seen Aaron off the field in a while. “It’s hard not talking to your brother,” he confessed. “It’s not fun. It sucks.”
Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers is out now.
