Sandy Hook Lawyer To Aaron Rodgers: 'Could You Please Shut The F**k Up?'
Following a report claiming that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers spread lies about the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, one lawyer representing families affected by the tragedy asked Rodgers to exercise more discretion when he spoke ― although the language he used was a little more colorful.
In a CNN story Wednesday, reporter Pamela Brown described an interaction she had with Rodgers in 2013, in which he falsely claimed that the Sandy Hook attack ― which left 20 children and six adults dead ― was orchestrated by the government.
Another source, not identified by name in the CNN piece, claimed that Rodgers had also said “Sandy Hook never happened,” and that “all those children never existed. They were all actors.”
Dangerous conspiracies like these were at the center of several lawsuits that Sandy Hook families filed against Infowars host Alex Jones, who spent years falsely claiming that various parents who lost their children to gun violence were “actors.”
Jones made a fortune profiting off his repeated lies. Following the lawsuits from the Sandy Hook families, however, he was ultimately ordered to pay more than $1.5 billion to the families for the falsehoods he spread.
Houston attorney Mark Bankston, who represented a pair of Sandy Hook parents during Jones’ first trial, posted a thread to X, formerly Twitter, to call out Rodgers early Thursday morning. The thread reads:
Hey Aaron, not sure if you’ll see this, but I figure the best chance is to put it here on Twitter, where it will hopefully be sandwiched between a tweet claiming the measles vaccine makes children gay and an ad for a cryptocurrency scam.
To start, I can’t say it really surprised me to see you had been spreading nonsense about Sandy Hook because although I have not followed your sports career closely, I am quite aware that you are a slow-witted, gullible person.
Sadly, I’d have to live under a rock not to notice the frequency in which the media reports on whatever screwball propaganda you most recently swallowed like a hungry trout confronted with a shiny lure.
Being a poor schmuck who latches onto claptrap maybe isn’t the biggest sin in this day and age, but I can’t fathom how on earth you manufactured the confidence to think you have something useful to offer to any of these discussions.
As the Greeks instructed: “Gnōthi sauton.” Know thyself. You are a dumb jock. God apparently gave you many talents, but critical thinking is not one of them.
With your immense fortune, there is no reason you can’t hire someone to assess and evaluate basic day-to-day information so you don’t have to. Because you’re not very good at it.
I already knew this about you, but what I learned today ― that you were one of those freaks telling reporters (and god knows who else) that the Sandy Hook parents were liars and actors ― crosses a line you can’t come back from.
It means you can’t be trusted with important decisions. It means nobody benefits from listening to you. It means you’re broken in a fundamental way. It means you’re weak, and you’re desperate to believe what a grifter will happily sell you.
It means you’re not a leader and will never be one. You’re not cut out to be an influencer, a role model, or even an amusing iconoclast. Because you’re not eccentric; you’re defective. And that’s not a funny joke.
“There’s more I could say about the limitations of your character and judgment,” Bankston added. “But instead I’ll conclude with a very simple request that I hope will reach your ears: Could you please shut the fuck up?”
Chris Mattei ― a Connecticut lawyer who represented several Sandy Hook families in Jones’ second trial, for which he was ordered to pay $1 billion for his lies ― also expressed frustration with Rodgers.
“F around and find out just how real it was @AaronRodgers12,” Mattei posted on X. “Call your boy Alex Jones.”
Independent presidential candidate and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said he is considering Rodgers for his running mate. Kennedy and Rodgers share an interest in spreading false information about COVID-19 and vaccines.
On Thursday, Rodgers posted to X to say he believes the shooting happened. He did not discuss his alleged claim that the shooting was orchestrated by the government.
“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.”
Bankston said he wasn’t buying it.
“In a rather predictable move, Aaron Rodgers would rather call multiple people liars than apologize and take responsibility for being a freak,” Bankston wrote on X.
In a statement to HuffPost, Mattei said it “is a good thing that Aaron Rodgers has publicly acknowledged that he neither expressed, nor believed something so absurd, cruel, and defamatory.”
“A segment of our society is awash in lies spread by people who profit from others’ misery and gullibility,” Mattei went on. “We must meet lies with truth. I’m glad Aaron Rodgers has stated what every person of good faith knows to be true: We suffered an unspeakable loss at Sandy Hook and the family members who have carried on the memories of their loved ones have done so with immense courage and grace.”
