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Football star Aaron Rodgers is opening up about his personal life likenever before. In a candid interview with ESPN, set to hit the stands thisSeptember, the generally private Green Bay Packers quarterback divulges detailsabout his very public breakup with actress Olivia Munn and his muchtalked-about family issues. The 33-year-old athlete also subtly slams critics that couldn’t separate his life at home from his work on the field.
Aaron Rodgers and Olivia Munn ended their relationship in April 2017 Photo: Getty Images
"When you are living out a relationship in the publiceye, it's definitely ... it's difficult," he says of his almost three-yearrelationship with the X-Men star,which was reported as over this past April. "It has some extraconstraints, because you have other opinions about your relationship, how itaffects your work and, you know, just some inappropriateconnections."
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When asked if he's referring to those who questioned whetherOlivia was hindering his performance on the field, Aaron simply nods. “They'resuch misogynists, right?” he adds. "There's some horrible media outletsthat ... you say something or do something, where there's a story, and theyjust go with it and run with it," he also says more specifically. However,the NFL star reveals in the piece that he’s gotten good at tuning out the rubbish.
Aaron Rodgers opened up about his 'family issues' Photo: Getty Images
"When somebody thinks of you a certain way that's notreal, or says something about you that's not true, I ... you know, that's notme," he says. "You're not seeing me the right way." The footballstar refers to his much-discussed family issues, which his younger brotherJordan surprisingly exposed while appearing on The Bachelorette.
Although Aaron remains pretty quiet about his estrangementfrom his parents and brothers, he does recognize the family drama. He assertsthat keeping the matter private is the right route. "Because a lot of people have familyissues," he explains. "I'm not the only one that does. It needs to behandled the right way." He continues to say: "I think there should bea separation between your public life and your personal life. I've just alwaysfelt like there should be a time when you don't have to be on."
Aaron Rodgers accepted an award at The 2017 ESPYS in July Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“Decreased privacy" is one of the most discomfortingeffects of being famous to Aaron. "And increased strain or pressureor stress associated with relationships – friendships and dating relationships.”It’s clear he approaches the media with trepidation, taking precautions like: onlymeeting at a neutral location versus his home, and using his own recordingdevice so that his words "won't be taken out of context."
However, his safeguards don’t stop him from living anauthentic life. "I do have a desire to be myself and not have to feel likeI've got to be so private," he also says in the candid article written byRandall Slavin. "I think, because I live in a fishbowl, you either kind ofinternalize everything or you just relax and let life be."