Back in the winter of 2014, things got pretty intense for NFL star Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback, who was dating actress Olivia Munn at the time, suddenly stopped talking to his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers. This surprising move came after what seemed like a regular visit from his folks, who were in town for an early December game.

Everything seemed fine during the visit; Ed and Darla even had a pleasant time with Olivia. But then things took a nosedive after Aaron's rough game against the Buffalo Bills, where he hit a career-low in quarterback rating. That night, Olivia reportedly called Ed and Darla, expressing her anger about their plans to attend an upcoming game in Tampa Bay. She wanted to avoid any more family meetups, which Ed and Darla felt was unnecessary, especially given their long history of supporting Aaron's career.

“The only thing I said was, ‘You haven’t been on the scene very long. You’re just his girlfriend. We’re his parents,’ ” Ed recalled.

This clash wasn't just about Olivia wanting some distance; it brought up deeper issues. Ed and Darla, who had been Aaron's cheerleaders since his childhood, were shocked by Olivia's demands. They felt their unwavering support was being overlooked. They decided to attend the Tampa Bay game anyway, but Aaron sent a stern email after, condemning any criticism of Olivia, which only pushed them further apart.

As time went on, Olivia seemed to be the center of the public's view of the Rodgers family drama. But the real story was more complicated. Aaron had started pulling away from close friends, including his best buddy Jordan Russell, even before Olivia was in the picture. Blaming Olivia alone for the family fallout didn't tell the whole story.

“You get on his bad side, you cross him once, you are dead to him,” said someone who knew him for many years in Green Bay. So perhaps too many people close to the quarterback were too quick to finger a convenient fall guy, or fall gal, rather than hold him fully responsible for his own choices.

At the same time, Munn did not help her own cause. She even returned Christmas gifts from Ed and Darla, which didn't go down well.

Given her devout religious views — Aaron’s mother disapproved of premarital sex and was opposed to her middle child sharing a hotel room with his girlfriend even as an NFL player — Darla did not appreciate how Munn had publicly talked about her sex life with Aaron just before that fateful loss at Buffalo.

Over the years, Darla and Ed believed they had reason to be angry with Munn repeatedly. Munn claimed in an interview on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show that she had actually encouraged her boyfriend to build a bridge back to his parents and that Aaron had stopped speaking to Ed, Darla and his older brother, Luke, eight months before he started dating the actress.

“It’s a lie,” Ed Rodgers said.

Olivia claimed she tried to mediate and said Aaron had been distant before they got together. Ed and Darla disagreed, insisting that their relationship with Aaron was strained but still strong before Olivia came along. They said their family life was stable, countering Olivia's portrayal of dysfunction.

Aaron's generosity to his family, like buying them a house and providing financial support, made his sudden withdrawal even more surprising. He didn't just cut off his parents; other relatives like his aunts and cousins, who played big roles in his upbringing, felt the impact, too.

His family members and friends were still citing Munn as a primary cause of the fractures years after the actress and the quarterback broke up in 2017.

Ed Rodgers had not seen or spoken with his son in nearly nine years, but they shared a brief but emotional embrace last summer on a Lake Tahoe golf course before Aaron's first training camp with the Jets. Father and son expressed their love while hugging in the middle of a celebrity tournament round before Aaron quickly resumed playing. The moment left Ed holding out more hope than ever that a reconciliation would happen.

“It’s definitely possible,” Aaron agreed.

He said he wanted to have a relationship with his father. Perhaps this could be the start of a new chapter for Aaron and the family he sent away.