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.
Aaron Rodgers says he has talked to several people about his situation including Joe Rogan. Says he has taken the recommendations he had from his podcast. "I'm gonna have the best immunity possible now. I'm thankful for guys like Joe for stepping use and using their voice."
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 5, 2021
Rodgers managed to answer that question when he appeared on Rogan’s podcast this week.
This was a lot fun and laughs with the legend that is @joerogan 💪🏼 enjoy ❤️ # https://t.co/PH4qbBIA4Z
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) August 28, 2022
Fun? I dunno. Laughs? I really dunno. Rodgers, among other things, admitted that his misleading dialogue regarding being vaccinated was intentional.
Aaron Rodgers went on the Joe Rogan podcast.
Rodgers explained how he purposely tricked the media by saying he was "Immunized."
"I had come to the conclusion that I was going to say, ‘I’ve been immunized’."
"I thought there was a possibility that… they didn’t follow up.” pic.twitter.com/x6LXma0xmQ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 28, 2022
“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.
