Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost the support of Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw, who called out Rodgers for lying about his coronavirus vaccination status. Days after Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, he went on The Pat McAfee Show, where he claimed he was in the “crosshairs of the woke mob” and insisted he didn’t lie when he told reporters he was “immunized” before the season began. Rodgers said he took ivermectin, a drug used to deworm animals that the FDA never approved for use in treating COVID-19 in humans.
“I’ll give Aaron Rodgers some advice,” Bradshaw said during Sunday’s NFL on FOX pregame show. “It would have been nice if he had just come to the Naval Academy and learned how to be honest. Learned not to lie. Because that’s what you did, Aaron. You lied to everyone. I understand ‘immunized.’ What you were doing was taking stuff that would keep you from getting COVID-19. You got COVID-19. Ivermectin is a cattle dewormer. Sorry, folks, that’s what it is.”
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“We are a divided nation politically,” the retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback continued, notes ProFootballTalk. “We are a divided nation on the COVID-19, whether or not to take the vaccine. And unfortunately, we’ve got players that pretty much think only about themselves. And I’m extremely disappointed in the actions of Aaron Rodgers.”
Michael Strahan also blasted Rodgers for using “immunized” as a verbal “workaround” before the season began. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s deceptive and it’s wrong,” the Good Morning America co-anchor said Sunday. “And the presentation that he did did not help.” Strahan then said it was inappropriate for Rodgers to invoke a Martin Luther King Jr. quote to justify his decision not to follow mask rules for unvaccinated players.
The other NFL on FOX analysts criticized Rodgers, too. Jimmy Johnson said he was “disappointed” by Rodgers’ “selfish actions.” Howie Long called out the reigning NFL MVP for creating public health risks and hurting his team’s chances on the field. Rodgers isn’t playing on Sunday, when the Packers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In August, Rodgers was asked if he was vaccinated. He told reporters he was “immunized,” then went on to say he would not judge anyone who has not been vaccinated. Many took this to mean he was vaccinated. During Friday’s interview, Rodgers insisted he didn’t lie and his “plan” was to tell reporters he was immunized. If he was asked a follow-up question, Rodgers said he would have told reporters, “‘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.’”
Although Rodgers said he marches to the “beat of my own drum,” he later said he took ivermectin after speaking with his “good friend” Joe Rogan and was “doing a lot of stuff that he recommended.” In addition to using ivermectin, Rodgers claimed he received monoclonal antibodies, but didn’t say how he fainted access to a treatment usually reserved for people who have the highest risk of severe COVID, reports NBC News. Rodgers also said he had an allergy to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, but didn’t say what that allergy was.
“I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now,” Rodgers told the Pat McAfee Show hosts. “So before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies.”
Meanwhile, the NFL is investigating whether Rodgers violated COVID protocols and if the Packers failed to discipline him. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that the investigation would end in fines, not a suspension of Rodgers. The NFL was aware that Rodgers wasn’t vaccinated, but he still regularly attended indoor press conferences without wearing a mask.
