Torrance, California, Josh Rosen has often been described as cocky or entitled, attracting negative attention for several incidents over the years.
These include wearing a hat with a profane anti-Donald Trump message, installing a hot tub in his dorm room, and publicly questioning the concept of amateurism in college football.
Highlights
- Josh Rosen’s parents are affluent; his father, Dr. Charles Rosen, is a renowned spine surgeon, and his mother is a former journalist.
- The Rosen family ensured he had access to elite training from a young age, including private coaching with some of the country’s top “QB gurus.”
- Josh’s mom supported him when he spent $400 on an inflatable Lay‑Z‑Spa hot tub and brought it to his dorm.
Once considered one of the top quarterbacks coming out of college, Josh Rosen is now seen as one of the biggest disappointments in recent NFL history.
After a standout career at UCLA, he was drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, entering the league with a lot of hype.
However, that excitement quickly faded as his NFL career struggled to take off.
Throughout his career, he played for seven different teams, with his time in the league ending in 2022.
Rosen finished his NFL career with just 12 passing touchdowns and 21 interceptions, making him a bust in the eyes of many.
After his time in the NFL, he moved from football to an MBA Candidate at The Wharton School.
The Rosen Family Is Quite Affluent, And Josh Rosen Has Received Backlash For Being A Privileged QB
Josh Rosen’s story is often viewed as a tale of extreme privilege, and it’s not unique among the most well-known young quarterbacks.
After all, his parents both come from prestigious Ivy League backgrounds.
“I come from a wealthy, affluent, educated family,” Rosen says. “I mean, not like get-a-Lambo-for-my-16th-birthday- wealthy, but like, affluent.”
Josh Rosen
His father, Dr. Charles Rosen, is a renowned spine surgeon and educator. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and founded the UC Irvine Spine Center, where he teaches orthopedic surgery.
Dr. Rosen was even considered for the position of U.S. Surgeon General during the Obama administration.
Similarly, his mother, Elizabeth Lippincott, went to Princeton, where she played lacrosse. She has worked as a book and magazine editor, and her family has deep ties to publishing and the arts.
Her father was the CEO of J.B. Lippincott Publishing, a company founded by his great-grandfather, and her mother was a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Elizabeth is also a great-great-granddaughter of Joseph Wharton, who founded the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
The duo, Dr. Charles and Elizabeth, parted their ways in 2012.
Josh’s family ensured he had access to elite training from a young age, including private coaching with some of the country’s top “QB gurus.”
In 2021, an article highlighted how much parents spent to get their sons ready to play college football, especially at the quarterback position.
The staggering costs ranged from $15,000 to $75,000 per player. This included things like private coaching, elite training camps, and other specialized resources aimed at giving their kids an edge.
And considering how much things have evolved since then, those numbers are likely even higher today.
Rosen’s case serves as a reminder that while parental support and financial resources can open doors, they don’t guarantee success, where intangibles like leadership and teamwork are just as important as raw talent.
Additionally, Josh Rosen’s time on social media hasn’t always been smooth.
Inspired by a friend from Arizona State, he spent $400 on an inflatable Lay‑Z‑Spa hot tub in 2015. His reasoning? He wanted something memorable to tell his kids about his college days.
He set it up in his dorm room, using a 20-foot beer funnel as a hose.
Josh Rosen is searching for $2M EBITDA hot tub services SMB in the Southeast. https://t.co/knbMQ5xplQ pic.twitter.com/Aj1bJJrA8l
— Grayson Phillips (@Pndubya_) November 27, 2024
Even his mom came by to see it. However, when one of his friends shared a photo of the setup on Instagram, it went viral.
“I accidentally left the shipping address as my home one, not school, So, my mom gave me a call and she was just like, ‘Did you get a hot tub?’ I said, ‘Yeah, wanna drive it up?’ She said, ‘All right,'”
Josh Rosen
The school quickly stepped in, demanding he remove the tub. Rosen had to write an apology letter, though he didn’t take it too seriously.
Additional Information
- Josh Rosen’s father, Dr. Charles Rosen, is Jewish and was a nationally ranked ice skater in the 1970s, nearly qualifying for the Winter Olympics.
- His maternal great-great-great-grandfather was Joseph Wharton, the co-founder of Bethlehem Steel and founder of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Additionally, he traces his ancestry to Thomas Cornell, the progenitor of the Cornell family.
- His name honors another ancestor, Joseph Ballinger Lippincott, who founded the publishing company J.B. Lippincott & Co.
