Not so fast… maybe Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley aren’t broken up after all. Despite it widely being reported that the couple ended their engagement, the Green Bay Packers quarterback appeared to set the record straight while talking about happiness.
On Tuesday’s The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said he’s been “thriving at home” before calling out Woodley, whom he refers to as “Shai.” The athlete referenced a speech he gave last week while winning his fourth NFL MVP award and a conversation he had with head coach, Matt LaFleur.
“I was teasing with Matt before when I mentioned in my speech that three years together, two MVPs there’s no coincidences. And I also was telling Shai, I’ve been with you for two seasons and won two MVPs, like, that’s not a coincidence either and I mean that,” Rodgers shared. “When your home life is stable and you have an amazing partner to do life with, it just makes the work life a bonus… how much more fun can I have at work now, now that the stress of personal life stuff is out of there.”
Rodgers said women deserve more credit for when their athletic partners are playing well.
“I know for me, it’s been great the last two seasons to have that stability at home and I think about the other wives of my teammates who are just rockstars,” he added. “When things are good in your personal life… it allows you to just relax and be so much more grateful, I think, for the little things in life. Big shout out to all the women backing up the fellas.”
In November, Rodgers found himself in the middle of a media firestorm over his vaccination status. Although he publicly declared he was “immunized,” the quarterback did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine and had to sit out one game after contracting the virus. Apparently, he’s done some reflecting on the scandal after his season ended.
“One thing I am sad about and definitely apologetic is I didn’t realize in the midst of the COVID conversations how much my situation was affecting my loved ones and my people,” Rodgers declared. “I didn’t realize the kind of shrapnel that was kind of being flaked off what I felt like were the bullets coming at me.”
Rodgers said he “never wanted to be divisive in this whole thing” before apologizing to those close to him, starting with his (maybe) fiancée.
“But I am very sorry to those people — Shai, and my loved ones, and my agents,” he said, noting he recently grasped “the entire gravity” of the situation. “To those people, I just want to say I’m sorry. I never meant to get you in the middle of it… I do have a lot of feelings of remorse for that.”
Rodgers’s public remarks comes days after multiple outlets, including Yahoo Entertainment, reported that he and Woodley had split. The actress was then photographed without her engagement ring. Whatever is going on, it’s clear the Big Little Lies star is someone important in the quarterback’s life.
On Monday night, Rodgers shared an intimate photo with Woodley although it appears to be an old shot. She was among many “special people” he thanked in a post about gratitude.
“Thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life,” he wrote. “Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you.”
Woodley has not publicly commented on the split reports or Rodgers’s recent public declarations.
MORE: Aaron Rodgers tells Shailene Woodley, “I love you and am grateful for you”
