Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers are dating, the NASCAR driver confirmed Monday.
“Yes, Aaron and I are dating,” the 35-year-old Patrick told The Associated Press.
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Patrick told the AP that she met the Green Bay Packers quarterback at the 2012 ESPY Awards, where she told him she is a fan of his rival Chicago Bears.
“I told him a long time ago I’d always root for him as a player,” Patrick said. “Now I am probably going to cheer for the whole team… Take out the word ‘probably.’ Now I’m going to cheer for the whole team.”
Tabloids began speculating that the sports power couple was dating earlier this month. They were seen on a date in Green Bay, Wisconsin, visiting one of Rodgers’ favorite restaurants.
“Danica and Aaron were all over each other, kissing and couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other,” an eyewitness told Terez Owens on Jan. 2. They were “really hitting it off.”
“Danica didn’t waste any time moving on from Ricky Stenhouse,” the Terez Owens source said. “This is on the extreme down low, as they both want to keep this quiet for now. It’s early but they are really hitting it off.”
A couple of days later, Patrick refused to answer a question about the relationship while she was in New York.
Then on Jan. 14, the day before Patrick confirmed the relationship to the AP, TMZ published photos of the two at the Mason Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona with friends.
Rodgers and Patrick are both coming off long-term relationships. Rodgers and actress Olivia Munn started dating in 2014. They broke up early last year, although there was speculation that they were engaged after Munn was seen wearing a diamond ring.
Patrick was previously married to Phoenix-based physical therapist Paul Edward Hospenthal from 2005 to 2012. She then dated fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from November 2012 to December 2017.
In November, Patrick announced plans to retire after the Daytona 500 and Indy 500.
As for Rodgers, he won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers and was named NFL MVP after the 2011 and 2014 seasons. His 2017 season was hampered by a fractured collarbone. He played in only seven games, and the Packers missed the postseason for the first time since 2008.
