Aaron Rodgers Breaks Silence on Not Being Vaccinated, Blasts NFL for COVID-19 Protocols
Aaron Rodgers broke his silence about the COVID-19 vaccine controversy surrounding him. The Green Bay Packers quarterback appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday and set the record straight about why he didn't receive the vaccine. Rodgers started the conversation by addressing the "woke mob."
"I realize I'm in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now," Rodgers said, per Yahoo Sports. "So before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I would like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself." Rodgers, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week, said he did his research and discovered that he is allergic to one of the ingredients in the mRNA vaccines. This meant he could only take the Johnson&Johnson vaccine, but he didn't like the side effects.
Rodgers then looked into different methods to keep himself and his teammates safe. He found a long-term "immunization protocol" that involved multiple months. Rodgers then went to the NFL to accept his immunization status under its vaccine protocol. The league deemed Rodgers unvaccinated, leading Rodgers to appeal the decision. Rodgers said he gather over 500 pages of research on immunization but didn't win the appeal.
Along with the NFL denying his immunization status, the league is looking into whether Rodgers violated COVID-19 protocols this year. Rodgers has been seen not wearing a mask on the sideline or at press conferences, which is a breach of protocol if unvaccinated. "Some of the rules to me are not based in science at all," Rodgers said, per CBS Sports. "They are based purely in trying to out and shame people like needing to wear a mask at a podium when everyone in the room is vaccinated and wearing a mask makes no sense to me. I have followed every single protocol to a T, minus that one I just mentioned, which makes absolute no sense to me."
Rodgers also addressed the "immunization" quote he said in August when asked if he was vaccinated. "First of all I didn't lie in the initial press conference," Rodgers said "At the time, my plan was to say that I have been immunized," Rodgers said. "It wasn't some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth. Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I had been immunized, I would have responded with this: 'Look, I'm not some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther. I am somebody who is a critical thinker, you guys know me I march to the beat of my own drum. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body. Not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something. Health is not a one size fits all for everybody.'"