Aaron Rodgers responds to CNN report on Sandy Hook beliefs

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers responded Thursday to a CNN report that he cast doubt on the veracity of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which killed 20 children and six adults.

CNN reported Wednesday that Rodgers, the sure-fire Hall of Fame signal caller, has privately espoused the patently false theory — that the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, "was actually a government inside job and the media was intentionally ignoring it."

The Sandy Hook shooter carried out his massacre before he turned a gun on himself. Earlier that day, he killed his mother at the home they shared. The shooting was, at the time, the second-deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. after the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech.

CNN's Pamela Brown said she clearly remembers Rodgers telling her, at a 2013 Kentucky Derby party, that Sandy Hook was a staged government event.

In the CNN article, Brown recalls Rodgers' asking her about "men in black in the woods by the school. "

Rodgers, who in recent years has embraced odd conspiracy theories and advocated against vaccines, has been floated as a possible running mate for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy," Rodgers said in a statement on X.

"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."

The Sandy Hook conspiracy theory is a favorite in fringe right-wing circles, led by Alex Jones, who owes nearly $1.5 billion to Sandy Hook parents after lawsuits linked him to falsehoods spread about the attack.

Rodgers has vocally opposed vaccinations to fight Covid-19, despite proven and ongoing high efficacy rates.

And in early January, Rodgers, with absolutely no proof, hinted that late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel would appear in court documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel's name was not referred to at all in the unsealed documents.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com