Aaron Rodgers Expresses Admiration for Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles

Rodgers: `I give Simone so much credit for her ability to speak the truth' on mental issues.

The Tokyo Olympics have come to an end, and Aaron Rodgers is the latest to throw his support behind star gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from many of her events, citing mental health concerns.

Biles, 24, is regarded as the greatest gymnast of all-time. She was the face of these Olympics in the lead-up to the Games.

But after competing in the team event, she withdrew from the individual all-around competition at Tokyo, explaining she felt overwhelmed. Eventually, she returned to compete on the balance beam, where she won bronze, giving her 32 total Olympic and world championship medals.

“It's been really stressful, this Olympic Games. I think just as a whole, not having an audience, there are a lot of different variables going into it. It's been a long week, it's been a long Olympic process, it's been a long year,” Biles said.

"So just a lot of different variables, and I think we're just a little bit too stressed out. But we should be out here having fun, and sometimes that's not the case.”

Biles’ willingness to speak out about her feelings drew support and praise from thousands of fans along with celebrities including Michael Phelps, Michelle Obama, Billie Jean King, Manny Pacquiao and President Joe Biden, who made his remarks during a Zoom call with dozens of Olympians this weekend.

Rodgers, the former Cal star and MVP quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, has talked recently about devoting time this summer to his own mental health.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Ringer, Rodgers expressed his admiration for Biles.

“I give Simone so much credit for her ability to speak the truth, her truth, and to answer tough questions, and to have the courage to say, ‘I’m scared’ and ‘I don’t feel like I should be out there,’” Rodgers said. “She’s the greatest gymnast of all time. And mental health (awareness) is an issue that is continuing to break down the stigmas that don’t allow us to talk about it or only allow us to talk about it in a super negative, depressive, suicidal way.

“People of all ages and all professions are dealing with mental issues, especially during COVID. You’ve seen the suicide hotline (calls) going way up. We’ve seen so many different statistics around mental health.”

In a year where Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka publicly addressed her mental health issues, Rodgers said it’s time for the topic to become mainstream.

“It’s something we should be talking about and ways to help people get through it, whether it’s techniques or therapy or just conversations letting people know they’re not alone. And that’s what Simone did,” he said.

“I’m very, very proud of her. I’ve gotten to know her a little bit at times over the years. And I think what she did and then the way she handled herself, cheering for her teammates, was really special to watch in a tough situation for her. And I give her just a tremendous amount of respect.”

Rodgers said athletes, or anyone who has the public’s ear, has a responsibility to speak up about issues such as these.

“Well, we should keep talking about it,” Rodgers said. “Keep talking about ways that we individually deal with stress and deal with anxiety and deal with pressure and deal with depression or loneliness. I think that would really help.

“Because we, whether we like it or not, have a platform to influence people. And our words are often listened to more than the person who’s not in the public eye as much. So we have an opportunity—not an obligation, an opportunity—to maybe share some of our own ways of dealing with things and break some of the stigma around mental health.”

Cover photo of Simone Biles by Robert Deutsch, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo