Before the start of the NFL season we learned that Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tried something different to get ready for the 2020 season – ayahuasca, which is a plant-based psychedelic tea.
Rodgers, the reigning league MVP, recently told Peter King he went back to Peru before the start of this season to experience ayahuasca again and that it has helped him in a bunch of different ways.
“Man, it’s hard to answer that question with a short answer. But a lot of different ways. The most important way was really that self-love part. I think it’s unlocked a lot of my heart. Being able to fully give my heart to my teammates, my loved ones, relationships because I can fully embrace unconditionally myself. Just didn’t do that for a long time. I was very self-critical. When you have so much judgment on yourself it’s easy to transfer that judgment to other people. When you figure out a better way to love yourself, I think you can love people better because you’re not casting the same judgment you cast on yourself on other people. I’m really thankful for that.”
Last week I was able to talk to former NFL running back Ricky Williams about Rodgers sharing that info and Williams explained why he was so happy to hear it.
Here’s our conversation about that from USA Today Sports’ weekly sports show, Sports Seriously:
Ricky Williams says when Aaron Rodgers speaks candidly about his Ayahuasca usage, he's "living his true self". pic.twitter.com/9bPZvTz5fA
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) October 17, 2022
Here’s more from my chat with Ricky: