Aaron Rodgers Didn’t Violate NFL’s Drug Policy With Use Of Hallucinogen Ayahuasca

Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers (Photo: Getty)

As we get closer to the season, reigning-MVP Aaron Rodgers has continued his annual press run where he confuses the media en route to no doubt another stellar season. Just a few weeks after Rodger’s revealed his newest tattoo, which led to even more press speculation, Rodgers revealed that a particular drug aided him in his two stellar MVP seasons.

According to Rodgers, the hallucinogen ayahuasca was a key factor in his unreal play. While that may sound like it is a PED, according to users, the drug helps with personal insight and growth.

Rodgers first encountered the drug on a trip to Peru. “I have a dear friend that I’ve known for 25 years that went on an ayahuasca journey in 2019,” he said. “He came back, and we played golf one day and he told me all about it. I said, okay, I think it’s time that I do it. So we put together a trip to Peru [in 2020] and had a great experience. Then I went again this offseason and had another beautiful experience. Different, very different. Different size group, different amount of days.”

Wikipedia says that “people who have consumed ayahuasca report having mystical experiences and spiritual revelations regarding their purpose on earth, the true nature of the universe, and deep insight into how to be the best person they possibly can… Westerners typically describe experiences with psychological terms like ‘ego death.’”

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His encounter with the drug raised some eyebrows around the league as it relates to the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but many including Packers’ head coach Matt Lafleur said, “I really haven’t given it much thought at all” when asked about potential discipline from the league.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that ayahuasca would not have triggered a positive test result on either substance abuse or PED policy test according to the league and NFLPA regulations. The drug’s psychoactive component is DMT and is currently illegal in the United States.

As for Rodgers, he gears up for one of the more challenging seasons in his career, a year removed from an early playoff exit, with a limited receiving corps. Let’s see just how life-changing ayahuasca can be.