Jets' Aaron Rodgers says he has 'never been of the opinion' that Sandy Hook shooting didn't occur

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has responded to a CNN story that said he expressed that the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting never happened and that it was an “inside job.”

Rodgers, who has received plenty of backlash after the story aired, posted a denial of sorts on Twitter on Thursday.

“As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy,” Rodgers wrote. “I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place. Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community.”

CNN reported that Rodgers shared conspiracy theories with two people about the shooting that took the lives of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut. One of the people Rodgers spoke to, the story reported, was CNN’s Pamela Brown.

According to Brown, Rodgers told her it was a government inside job. The other person said Rodgers said, “Sandy Hook never happened . . . All those children never existed. They were all actors.”

Rodgers, in his statement, denied that he said it never happened, though he didn’t dismiss the theory that the government was involved.

CNN’s report came after The New York Times reported that presidential candidate Robert. F Kennedy Jr. was considering Rodgers and former professional wrestler and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura to be his running mate in the 2024 election.

Rodgers has yet to make any comments or release a statement about his interest in being the vice president.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.