Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in for a surprise on Sunday after he threw a touchdown to teammate Allen Lazard.
Instead of dancing or praying or doing some other traditional celebration, the wide receiver circled up with other Packers players to mimic Rodgers’ past ayahuasca use.
Videos of the unique performance show Lazard acting as if the football is a teapot and using it to pour pretend glasses of the psychoactive drink for his teammates.
What is ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive drink from the Amazon region that, for centuries, has been used in sacred ceremonies. “It’s considered a medicine, a way to heal internal wounds and reconnect with nature,” Vox reported in 2018.
In recent years, ayahuasca has become increasingly popular in the wellness community, as that article noted. Researchers are studying whether ayahuasca “trips” could be used to help people work through painful memories or as a treatment for mental health challenges like depression or PTSD.
“Recent research has shown that ayahuasca may benefit health — particularly brain health — in a number of ways,” Healthline reported.
Did Aaron Rodgers use ayahuasca?
Rodgers has shared these and other benefits of ayahuasca use in interviews he’s given about his relationship to the drink.
This summer, he credited ayahuasca with helping him earn the NFL’s MVP award in each of the past two seasons.
“To me, one of the core tenets of your mental health is that self-love. That’s what ayahuasca did for me, was help me see how to unconditionally love myself. It’s only in that unconditional self-love, that then I’m able to truly be able to unconditionally love others. And what better way to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that?,” the quarterback said during a podcast appearance earlier this year, according to Fox News.
After listening to his comments on “The Aubrey Marcus Podcast,” some NFL fans questioned whether Rodgers should be suspended for violating the league’s drug policies. The speculation got so out of control that an NFL official had to address it.
“NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday that it wouldn’t have triggered a positive test result on either the substance abuse or performance-enhancing substance policies collectively bargained by the NFL and its players’ association,” ESPN reported on Aug. 8.
What was Allen Lazard doing in his touchdown celebration?
In interviews after Sunday’s game, at least one Packers wide receiver confirmed that the touchdown celebration referenced Rodgers’ past ayahuasca use — and the controversy that surrounded it.
For his part, Rodgers said he played no role in the planning, according to Sports Illustrated.