From four-time New York Times bestselling author Ian O’Connor, “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” the definitive portrait of the four-time NFL MVP who is the most mysterious and polarizing figure in sports. Pro football writing legend Peter King called this book “A MASTERWORK ON AARON RODGERS.”
Aaron Rodgers is regarded by some as the most talented player ever to hold the most important job in American team sports — quarterback. He also stands among the most mysterious and polarizing figures in the modern-day national pastime that is pro football.
From his embrace of conspiracy theories to his controversial COVID stance to his methods of spiritual awakening to his high-profile romances to his devastating Achilles injury a mere four snaps into his New York Jets career, Rodgers has long dominated the NFL’s news cycle.
At 39, in search of a challenge that would rejuvenate him, Rodgers divorced the iconic Green Bay Packers of Vince Lombardi fame for the Jets, who haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. The trade made Rodgers the biggest story in the biggest league in the biggest market. By far.
The story only got bigger when Rodgers shockingly went down on the night of 9/11, in front of a packed house that roared for him when he took the field carrying an American flag, and in front of the biggest “Monday Night Football” audience in ESPN history — peaking at more than 25 million viewers.
As Rodgers launches his comeback and his bid to lead the Jets to a championship, acclaimed sports biographer Ian O’Connor uses hundreds of original interviews to pull back the curtain and answer the most penetrating questions about this enigmatic superstar. Just like he did in his previous works on Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski, Derek Jeter, and Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus, O’Connor reveals all sides of an all-time great and delivers a portrait of a complex man and four-time NFL MVP that will forever shape the way football fans view him.
Editorial Reviews
“I knew—I just knew—that Ian O’Connor would paint a masterwork on Aaron Rodgers. This book perfectly details the roots of the enigmatic Rodgers, starting with the World War II fighter-pilot grandfather with no fear… O’Connor answers every question, deftly and deeply, that we’ve had about the most controversial person in America’s biggest game.”
—Peter King, National Sports Media Association Hall of Famer and three-time National Sportswriter of the Year.
“Aaron Rodgers is one of the most uniquely complex superstar athletes of my lifetime and Ian O’Connor peels back dozens of layers, maybe hundreds. The depth of reporting is relentless. Ian goes a mile deep and keeps on digging. Every story, better than the next. …I’ve wanted this book to be written and Ian delivers a masterclass in storytelling.”
—Colin Cowherd, Host of Fox Sports’ “The Herd” and New York Times bestselling author.
“America’s premier sports biographer has done it again. With exquisite detail and energetic prose, Ian O’Connor pulls back the curtain on this country’s most enigmatic athlete, telling the real Aaron Rodgers story with all of its polarizing complexities. Many sports fans look at Rodgers and ask, ‘What’s with this guy?’ O’Connor goes deep in addressing that question, and the answers will amaze.”
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times Sports Columnist, panelist ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” National Sports Media Association Hall of Famer.
“With deep reporting and a profound understanding of the football life, Ian O'Connor comes as close as humanly possible to solving the mystery of the great football sphinx, Bill Belichick, and his unmatched coaching career.” – David Maraniss, best-selling author of When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi
"I thought I knew everything there is to know about the brilliant, secretive coach. The Hoodie would have made a model Prisoner of War. He gives up nothing. And yet Ian O'Connor somehow cracked the code at Fort Foxborough, producing this compelling portrait of the coach and the man. A must-read for football buffs and anyone who appreciates leadership.” – Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist and best-selling author of Francona (with Terry Francona)
”In Belichick, Ian O’Connor has delivered an excess of compelling, fresh reporting and muscled writing to construct one of our great coaching biographies. O’Connor illuminates one of sports’ most secretive and mysterious figures. Fast-moving, exhaustively researched, Belichick will transform the way you consider the man and the Patriot’s dynasty.” – Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN Senior Writer and best-selling author of The Miracle of St. Anthony
“A tour de force of world-class reporting and masterful, fair-minded storytelling.” – Armen Keteyian, contributing correspondent to 60 Minutes and best-selling author of Tiger Woods
“It is simply not possible to produce a more interesting, informative and beautifully written biography than Ian O'Connor has in Belichick … This is the kind of gold-standard reporting that all journalists aspire to, and few actually achieve.” – Mike Vaccaro, award-winning columnist for the New York Post
“A valuable portrayal of both the public and private side of the NFL's leading coach for the past 20 years that will be in demand among sports collections.” – Starred Review, Library Journal
“A fascinating look inside the team so many of us love to hate.” – Washington Post
