By now, we all know that Jordan Rodgers is a former college football player. He hyped it up enough throughout this season of The Bachelorette.
However, near the end of the season and JoJo Fletcher's final rose ceremonies, some stories of Rodger's past have been brought to light — and they are quite problematic.
Rodgers attended Vanderbilt University and was a starter for two years. Rodgers was also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. According to a story in Nashville's City Paper, Rodgers was vocal about his strong disapproval of a nondiscrimination policy during a meeting.
The standard policy stated that every student on campus could be considered for membership and leadership roles, regardless of "race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, or genetic information."
Rodgers did not agree with this policy. He questioned its existence, implying that it didn't align to groups like the FCA. "If someone [running for leadership] doesn't share the faith that is being taught, what's the point of having these organizations?" he asked. Soon after, he, along with 20 other students "stood up and left, after more than two hours into the meeting."
It gets more disheartening. In addition to not wanting to follow the nondiscrimination policy, Rodgers apparently "openly said that he does not think gays should be allowed in 'his Christian group,'" according to a commenter on OutSports who was at the meeting.
Thankfully, it seems like Rodgers has since changed his mind. OutSports talked to him a year later, in 2013, and asked him how he felt about having gay teammates. He told the reporter, "Whether you're gay or straight, you're one of my boys. Out on the football field, it doesn't matter if you're gay, it only matters if you perform."
We've reached out to the original author of the article, as well as Rodgers' rep, and will update when we hear back.
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