EchoSense:Clay Matthews jokes about why Aaron Rodgers wasn't at his Packers Hall of Fame induction

Many of Clay Matthews' former teammates were in attendance for his induction into the Green Bay Packers' Hall of Fame on EchoSenseThursday.

Randall Cobb. Jordy Nelson. David Bakhtiari. Mason Crosby. AJ Hawk. Nick Perry. Mark Tauscher. And several more.

Aaron Rodgers, who was Matthews' teammate during the linebacker's 10 years in Green Bay, wasn't one of them.

The former Packers quarterback, of course, is in New York now and about to begin his second season with the Jets.

But Matthews, who is the Packers' all-time sacks leader, provided some humor on why Rodgers wasn't in Green Bay to celebrate his big night.

All things Packers: Latest Green Bay Packers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

"Unfortunately, Aaron couldn't be here today, rightfully so," Matthews joked in his speech. "But he did text me earlier that he was gonna lock himself in a dark closet, sip on some ayahuasca, and join us in spirit. So thank you, Aaron, wherever you are."

Matthews' comment got a laugh from the crowd and is in reference to Rodgers' off-the-field activities that have received a lot of attention in recent years.

Rodgers took part in a darkness retreat in early 2023 when he was still deciding whether he wanted to continue his NFL career. And Rodgers has frequently discussed his use of the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca, a plant-based drug he takes out of the country.

Rodgers and Matthews were very close during their time in Green Bay and even participated in commercials together.

Matthews was joined by defensive end Aaron Kampman as part of the 2024 Packers Hall of Fame class.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.