Tag: aaron rodgers covid

Aaron Rodgers admits lying about COVID vaccination status last season

Aaron Rodgers admitted this week on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he intentionally lied about his COVID vaccination status last season.

Last season, there was a lot of talk about Aaron Rodgers and his vaccination status — more than anything, from Rodgers himself. The real question was whether Rodgers, who has his own unconventional opinions about COVID and COVID prevention, intentionally misled his team and the media who covers him on a near-daily basis regarding his vaccination status — and in so doing, put all around him at risk.

During a November appearance on the Pat McAfee show, Rodgers blasted right out of the gate with a repudiation of the criticism that came across… well, a bit elevated. That would be the professional way to put it. That he managed to hit MAGA bingo in one paragraph might be the unprofessional way to put it.

“I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now so before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there,” Rodgers said. “I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-earther. I’m somebody who’s a critical thinker. I march to the beat of my own drum. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy. Not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or some crazed group of individuals.”

Rodgers said that he is allergic to an ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna shots, and that he went away from the Johnson & Johnson shot after clotting issues forced the company to recall their vaccine for a short time. He also said that he consulted multiple medical individuals, though I don’t know how right-wing podcast dude Joe Rogan got in the mix.

Rodgers managed to answer that question when he appeared on Rogan’s podcast this week.

Fun? I dunno. Laughs? I really dunno. Rodgers, among other things, admitted that his misleading dialogue regarding being vaccinated was intentional.

“I’d been ready the entire time for this question, and had thought about how I wanted to answer it,” Rodgers told Rogan, via USA Today’s Steve Gardner. “And I had come to the conclusion I’m gonna say, ‘I’ve been immunized.’ And if there’s a follow-up, then talk about my process.”

“But, [I] thought there’s a possibility that I say ‘I’m immunized,’ maybe they understand what that means, maybe they don’t. Maybe they follow up. They didn’t follow up. So then I go the season them thinking, some of them, that I was vaccinated.”

Rodgers also appeared at press conferences without a mask, which only vaccinated players were allowed to do.

“I knew at some point if I contracted COVID or if word got out, because it’s the NFL and there’s leaks everywhere, it was possible I’d have to answer the questions,” Rodgers told Rogan.

“And that’s when the [expletive] storm hit, because now I’m a liar, I’m endangering the community, my teammates, all these people. And the, you know, attempted takedown of me and, you know, my word and my integrity began.”

Well, let’s unpack that quickly. Rodgers did lie about his vaccination status. In doing so, he did endanger those around him. Whatever “attempted takedown” of his integrity occurred after that, if it was based on the facts that Rodgers himself has now outlined, was accurate and warranted.

Rodgers’ decision to gamble with his own health, and the Packers’ season, based on his own beliefs, was and is his decision to make, until and unless it affected others. It certainly did that when Rodgers contacted COVID last season and missed the Packers’ Week 9 game against the Chiefs — a game the Packers lost, 13-7, with backup quarterback Jordan Love completing 19 of 34 passes for 190 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Packers were still the NFC’s one-seed with a 13-4 record, beating out the 13-4 Buccaneers based on conference win percentage, but imagine the outcry had they not secured that seed based on that game.

So, when the “woke mob” wants to criticize Rodgers for doing what he has admitted to doing, maybe that’s not an unprovoked attack? Maybe that’s just the media doing its job.

Twitter takes its shots with Aaron Rodgers jabs after Packers’ upset loss

Aaron Rodgers found that after he had no shot against the 49ers, it was impossible to be immune from Twitter jabs.

After the 49ers sent the Packers packing with a shocking 13-10 upset that was more about Green Bay’s abysmal special teams than anything Aaron Rodgers did or didn’t do, social media was all over the Packers’ future Hall of Fame quarterback nonetheless.

It probably had something to do with Rodgers’ interesting year, in which he initially questioned his own commitment to his team and then performed at an MVP level for the most part, but it really had to do with the COVID conspiracy theories Rodgers frequently espoused on the Pat McAfee Show, and in a recent interview with ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenberg.

Aaron Rodgers snarks back at “woke mob” who would criticize his vaccination options

“I don’t want to apologize for being myself,” Rodgers told Van Valkenberg. “I just want to be myself.”

All well and good, but after that playoff loss, Twitter was all about the Rodgers jokes — as they say, freedom of speech does not immunize one from consequence.

Aaron Rodgers snarks back at “woke mob” who would criticize his vaccination options

Aaron Rodgers has come out blazing against those would would criticize his vaccination status, and how he’s handled it.

There have been all kinds of discussions regarding Aaron Rodgers contracting COVID, the fact that as an unvaccinated player, he’ll be out at least this Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, and what kind of personal, criminal, and civil liability Rodgers and the Packers might face if Rodgers went against the league’s COVID safety protocols for unvaccinated players, and how the Packers could be liable if they knowingly let Rodgers violate those protocols.

There’s still a lot to unpack before those outcomes come to light. Rodgers has faced widespread criticism for his filmy defense of his vaccination status, saying in August that he had been “immunized” when asked during a press conference if he had been vaccinated.

During a Friday appearance on the Pat McAfee show, Rodgers blasted right out of the gate with a repudiation of the criticism that came across… well, a bit elevated. That would be the professional way to put it. That he managed to hit MAGA bingo in one paragraph might be the unprofessional way to put it.

“I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now so before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there,” Rodgers said. I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-earther. I’m somebody who’s a critical thinker. I march to the beat of my own drum. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy. Not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or some crazed group of individuals.”

Rodgers said that he is allergic to an ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna shots, and that he went away from the Johnson & Johnson shot after clotting issues forced the company to recall their vaccine for a short time. He also said that he consulted multiple medical individuals, though I don’t know how right-wing podcast dude Joe Rogan got in the mix.

There is a lot of information on the vaccines, but you have to know where to look. If you’re seeking an alternate path? Well, Rodgers has every right to do that, but he also has to follow all protocols, whether he likes it or not.

Which he says he has.

Rodgers confirmed that he petitioned the league to accept his “alternate” treatments, and the league refused. He said that the league and the Packers knew of his status, and the league’s insistence on a vaccination protocol was more about “outing players” than any sort of science.

Rodgers also said that the discussion has become too political while also making the discussion more political.

Rodgers also expressed encouragement to second-year quarterback Jordan Love, who will make his first NFL start in Rodgers’ stead.

We can argue over what responsibilities Rodgers has to avoid spreading misinformation as a highly public figure, just as we can argue that Rodgers has every right to avoid the vaccine for whatever reasons as long as he follows the protocols. The league is currently investigating whether that is so. As to Rodgers’ timeframe to return to the field, the first day he’d be eligible with no more positive tests would be Saturday, November 13 — the day before the Packers face the Seahawks at Lambeau Field.

What do the Packers have with Jordan Love as their starting quarterback?

With Aaron Rodgers out after a positive COVID test, what does backup Jordan Love bring to the field against the Chiefs?

The news broke on Wednesday morning that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for COVID, and will miss at least Green Bay’s game this Sunday against the Chiefs. Per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network, Rodgers must enter the league’s protocol for unvaccinated players, which brings up an interesting point as to what Rodgers said in August when asked if he’d been vaccinated.

Since not only Rodgers but also backup quarterback Kurt Benkert have tested positive, both players are out for the Chiefs game. Which puts this pivotal game in the hands of Jordan Love, the second-year man from Utah State who the Packers moved up to take with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft. That move caused a schism between Rodgers and the Packers that had Rodgers wanting to move on sooner than later.

Love got no snaps in his rookie season, because there was no preseason due to COVID, and he didn’t make it onto the field once the regular season started.

In the 2021 preseason, Love completed 24 of 35 passes for 271 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 89.1. He’s had 18 regular-season snaps in 2021 — 15 in the Packers’ Week 1 blowout loss to the Saints, and three in the Packers’ blowout win over the Lions in Week 2. In those 18 snaps, he’s completed five of seven passes for 68 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 102.1.

Based on his preseason work, there’s enough to estimate what Love has to offer at this point in his career, and how the Packers can help him succeed as long as he’s the starter. We’ll look at his footwork, his mind and decision-making, how a quarterback can tie things all together from his mind to his eyes to his feet and his arm, throwing in-rhythm, and one big lesson he might still need to learn: