Aaron Rodgers says he'll leave the NFL and go into hiding next year: 'You won't see me'
The four-time league MVP said Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he's "pretty sure" the upcoming NFL season — his first as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers and 21st overall — will be his last.
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And after that, Rodgers said, he won't be seen or heard from ever again.
"When this is all done, it's Keyser Söze. You won't see me," Rodgers said, referring to the elusive villain in "The Usual Suspects." "I won't be in the public. I don't want to live a public life. ... I'm not going to be in in the public eye. When this is done, I'm done, and you won't see me. And I'm looking forward to that."
Read more: Aaron Rodgers fined after admitting he 'misled people' about his vaccination status
It might seem a tad difficult to imagine Rodgers willingly disappearing from public consciousness for any significant period of time. In addition to being one of the all-time greats at quarterback, Rodgers has kept a pretty high profile in popular culture over the last two decades.
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He's been in countless commercials. He filled in as host of "Jeopardy." He made the short list of possible running mates during Robert Kennedy Jr.'s presidential bid (that spot ultimately went to Nicole Shanahan). He was in romantic relationships with such famous women as Olivia Munn, Danica Patrick and Shailene Woodley.
In recent years, Rodgers also has become known for his sometimes controversial opinions that he has been more than willing to share during his regular appearances on McAfee's show and other platforms.
Read more: Looks as though Aaron Rodgers wasn't banned from ESPN's Pat McAfee show after Jimmy Kimmel controversy
But, Rodgers insisted Tuesday, "I don't want the attention," although he acknowledged, "I know that's a narrative out there."
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After 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and two with the New York Jets, Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers as a free agent this summer. At mini-camp this month, the Super Bowl XLV MVP told reporters that he had recently gotten married. He has not publicly revealed his wife's name.
On Tuesday, Rodgers spoke for nearly four minutes about perceived invasions of his and his wife's privacy. He accused paparazzi of "stalking" the two of them and asserted that unnamed media outlets had been either publishing sensitive information about the couple or just making things up about them.
"What happened to common decency about security and a personal life that we now have to dive into your details of where you live and what you're doing and who you're with and who your wife is and if you even have a wife," Rodgers said. "Because my wife is a private person, doesn't have social media, hasn't been a public person, doesn't want to be a public person. But now that somehow is a weird thing?"
Read more: Did you really see Aaron Rodgers on 'Game of Thrones'?
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He added: "My private life is my private life, and it's going to stay that way. And I'm with somebody who wants to be private, and if and when she wants to be out, and there's a picture, she'll choose that. And she deserves the right to that.
"But the entitlement to information about my private life is so f— ridiculous and embarrassing. Like, hey, do what you got to do. But just try and leave me out of a conversation, Sports World, for a month. Try and just leave me out, my personal life, my professional life. Try not to talk about me. ... Just see if you can do that."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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