Aaron Rodgers made his return to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday after being away from the team for ten days due to testing positive for COVID-19. The three-time NFL MVP didn’t play his best game against the Seattle Seahawks but led the Packers to a 17-0 victory. After the game, Rodgers spoke to reporters about the win and admitted to getting emotional while walking off the field.
“A lot of emotions for sure,” Rodgers said, per ESPN. “Good to be back with the guys, good to be back at home, good to be on the field, really. The most emotions from the whole night was probably walking off the field after the game. It definitely got me a little misty. It was good to feel those types of emotions and good to be back with the guys.”
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Rodgers was then asked why he got “misty” when the game came to an end. “I just don’t take these things for granted, walking off the field as a winner. It’s fun beating that squad,” Rodgers stated. “We’ve had some battles over the years. Just walking out with [teammate] Preston [Smith], who I have so much love and appreciation for, and then hearing that type of response from the crowd — it was a little extra special today.”
Rodgers finished Sunday’s game with 292 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception, resulting in a 75.5 passer rating. Due to him testing positive for COVID-19 and being unvaccinated, Rodgers missed practice all last week and had to work virtually. He was activated off the COVID-19 list on Saturday. Rodgers took some heat after testing positive for COVID-19. In August, Rodgers told reporters that he’s “immunized” when asked he was vaccinated. It was reported that Rodgers received alternate treatment instead of getting vaccinated and defended his decision on The Pat McAfee Show. He later admitted to misleading people about his vaccination status.
“Everybody has an opinion and I understand that it’s a very polarizing issue for some individuals, but I’m just focusing on the support that I got and it was deep and wide, and greatly appreciated,” Rodgers said. “There’s always going to be criticism in this world. I don’t define myself by the criticism, but I understand it’s a part of this because this issue is definitely polarizing. But again, I’m just so deeply grateful for all the people that reached out.”
