Aaron Rodgers has once again praised psychedelics, saying using them helped him in his professional and personal life.
The four-time NFL MVP, who joined the New York Jets from the Green Bay Packers this offseason, was speaking at a psychedelics conference in Denver on Wednesday. Colorado, along with Oregon, recently decriminalized the use of psychedelic mushrooms, although they remain illegal at a federal level in the United States.
“Is it not ironic that the things that actually expand your mind are illegal and the things that keep you in the lower chakras and dumb you down have been legal for centuries?” said Rodgers, who has spoken in the past about his use of ayahuasca, a strong hallucinogen.
On Wednesday Rodgers said taking the substance with teammates had been “life altering”, adding other athletes had reached out to him about the subject.
“The response from other people in the sports industry has been incredible,” said the 39-year-old. “To see basketball players and baseball players and surfers, entertainers and my own teammates and colleagues across the league reach out and either share their story about their own medicine journey or ask to be a part of an upcoming one was pretty special.”
Interest in psychedelics as a treatment for issues such as PTSD, as well as a gateway to self-knowledge, has increased in recent years. However, experts caution that substances such as ayahuasca can be dangerous.
Rodgers said ayahuasca helped him win back-to-back MVPs after experiencing a down year by his high standards in 2019.
“You know, it’s going to be hard to cancel me, because, you know, the previous year, 26 touchdowns, four interceptions. We had a good season. Ayahuasca, 48 touchdowns, five interceptions, MVP. What are you going to say?” he said.
Rodgers has been mocked for his lifestyle, including a four-day darkness retreat he underwent before deciding to leave the Packers for the Jets. On Wednesday, the quarterback dismissed those criticisms.
“I guarantee you all these bums who want to come after me online about my experience and stuff, they’ve never tried it,” he said. “They’re the perfect people for it. We need to get these people taking it.”
