Aaron Rodgers tried to play both sides of the vaccine debate still raging across the country and now the people most hurt by his action are his teammates.
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, knocking him out for the Packers game against the Chiefs. Second-year quarterback Jordan Love, who has taken just 18 career snaps and thrown seven passes, will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense.
If it comes as a surprise that Rodgers isn’t vaccinated, that’s because it is surprising. When Rodgers was asked about his vaccination status prior to the season, he simply said he was “immunized” against COVID-19.
Aaron Rodgers was asked in late August if he’s vaccinated and this was his answer: pic.twitter.com/jvNPzPJZMF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 3, 2021
At the time, it just seemed like Rodgers was using a different word for vaccinated, but now it seems clear that may have been a way for him to receive the public perks of being vaccinated without offending those who aren’t.
What did Rodgers means when he says he was “immunized”? A report from NFL.com said he “received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels and asked the NFL to review his status,” but he wasn’t exempted as vaccinated. That could be what he was referring to.
As an unvaccinated player he is automatically out for 10 days as he works through his COVID-19 diagnosis. In a year where the Packers are trying to get over the NFC Championship game hump and actually play in a Super Bowl, they needed everybody to be available for a postseason run.
The Packers are still in good shape as far as getting a No. 1 overall seed is concerned, but now they’ll be facing a desperate Chiefs team without the 2020 MVP — all because he didn’t want to get vaccinated.
If the NFL was still under the previous playoff format where the top two seeds get home-field advantage, this might not be as devastating. However, with only one team slated to get a bye in the current format, every game counts, especially in a season where the Cardinals and Rams look like juggernauts that are also capable of getting the top seed in the NFC.
The Packers may be able to survive this game against the Chiefs without Rodgers, but they’ve been put into this position unnecessarily by the leader of their team. It’s important to remember that same leader went beyond the implications of the gridiron by choosing not to receive a vaccine.
There are real-world consequences here. Rodgers claimed he was “immunized”, but he still put his teammates at risk, their families at risk and risk the health of the public by choosing to be dubious about his vaccine decision. It’s one thing to choose to not be vaccinated, it’s another to lead people on about the decision to play both sides of the fence, when physically Rodgers can only be on one side.
Professionally and publicly, Rodgers let a lot of people down.
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