One of the highest profile couples in sports broke up in July 2020, as representatives
for retired NASCAR icon Danica Patrick confirmed to Us Weekly that she and Green Bay Packers
quarterback Aaron Rodgers have broken up.
The surprising news came two years after the couple started dating, and just a few months
after Patrick was actually teasing the possibility of an engagement to Rodgers during a November
2019 appearance on Jenny McCarthy's SiriusXM radio show.
"You can't be attached to something going a certain way because if you really want something
to happen there's that equal energy of being afraid that it's not going to happen, so you
just have to let it go and be like, 'Well, am I having fun today?
Yep, then life's good.
[...] I'll probably get proposed to tomorrow now."
As for Rodgers, he was equally smitten with Patrick, telling Artful Living,
"We're just two people who enjoy being around each other and love each other.
We're really into each other.
So there are going to be [social media] posts with each other because we enjoy each other's
company a lot.
We're really attracted to each other."
So what went wrong in the sporty duo's relationship?
It's hard to say, especially since things seemed so rosy.
Just a couple short months before their breakup, in fact, Patrick was gushing in an Instagram
story about Rodgers, saying,
"If you like a partner who is extremely attractive, super intelligent, very thoughtful, patient
(lord knows I can be stubborn), loves to travel, is open minded, is into growing in this life,
and can ball.
Ya, it's pretty amazing."
The two also visited Machu Picchu in March 2020, with the race car driver stating in
an Instagram post that she, quote, "can't wait to travel again" despite barely getting
out on the very last plane before the country shut down due to the COVID pandemic.
Nobody is quite sure what went wrong, but it seems to have gone wrong very suddenly.
And given that Patrick immediately unfollowed Rodgers on Instagram, it seems that the two
may not plan on staying friends — although they could reconnect once the breakup isn't
quite so fresh.
But just what happened remains a mystery, which is no surprise given Rodgers has a history
of being secretive when it comes to his high profile celebrity relationships.
From 2014 to 2017, Rodgers famously dated actress Olivia Munn, and in 2017 he told ESPN
the Magazine that he wanted to keep private things private.
"When you are living out a relationship in the public eye, it's definitely ... it's difficult.
It has some extra constraints, because you have other opinions about your relationship,
how it affects your work and, you know, just some inappropriate connections."
So did the harsh media spotlight play a part in Patrick and Rodgers splitting up?
Possibly, though in that same 2017 interview, Rodgers suggested that he was finally getting
used to dating in the public eye.
"I do have a desire to be myself and not have to feel like I've got to be so private.
I think, because I live in a fishbowl, you either kind of internalize everything or you
just relax and let life be."
Rodgers even shared a few snaps of Danica Patrick to his Instagram account during their
relationship, so it appears he was able to embrace this "live and let live" philosophy.
One big question fans have surrounding the breakup is who will get the Malibu, California,
mansion the couple purchased in November, 2019.
Rodgers and Patrick plunked down $28 million to enjoy the three-story and 4,636 square
foot abode, which according to Variety came with a massive swimming pool, an incredible
ocean view, and a two bedroom guesthouse.
The location sounds like the perfect spot to propose and then start a family — or
possibly an amazing Airbnb — but at the moment none of those things appear to be in
the cards.
That's sure to be a disappointment for fans and friends alike; as recently as February,
Rodgers's Green Bay Packers teammate Za'Darius Smith was telling TMZ Sports that the quarterback
needed to, quote, "put a ring on it."
Of course, Patrick could have "put a ring on it," too.
But maybe the public pressure to get hitched and the constant glare of the media spotlight
hampered the relationship, which would be understandable.
Here's hoping that the two are able to rebound quickly — either together or separately.
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