Aaron Rodgers Is Out with Covid-19, But It Gets Weird
The Green Bay Packers’ most valuable player (arguably) will be out of commission for Sunday’s Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. On Wednesday morning, the news broke that Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for Covid-19.
Since Rodgers is unvaccinated, he is not able to play for at least another 10 days, even if he tests negative for the virus. It sounds simple, but it’s not. There are a lot of moving pieces to this story.
During the offseason, Rodgers said in a press conference back in August that he was “immunized” when he was asked whether or not he was vaccinated. He was not pressed for further clarification.
Apparently, Rodgers was referring to a homeopathic alternative treatment that he received for the virus from his personal doctor, and not any of the three vaccines.
He actually petitioned the NFL to have his immunization treatment recognized as a vaccine for Covid-19, which was reportedly denied, hence Rodgers’ unvaccinated status.
No alternative treatments or immunizations outside of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been accepted and approved by the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association.
On Friday, Rodgers finally broke his silence concerning his vaccination status and his positive test. On The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers openly criticized vaccine mandates and the NFL’s safety protocols.
“I’m not some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther,”
Rodgers defended himself,
“I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some sort of woke culture or crazed individuals who say you have to do something.”
Rodgers went on to explain his reasoning for not receiving one of the three approved vaccines. He has an allergy to an ingredient in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and he was wary about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to rare cases of blood clots.
“Some of the rules are not based in science at all,” Rodgers said. “They’re based purely on trying to out and shame people.”
The NFL released a statement on Wednesday addressing the situation, and more specifically, the way the Green Bay Packers have been handling their Covid-19 protocols.
“The primary responsibility for enforcement of the Covid protocols within club facilities rests with each club,”
Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said,
“Failure to properly enforce the protocols has resulted in the discipline being assessed against individual clubs in the past.”
Jordan Love will start in Rodgers’ place Sunday in his NFL debut
You can believe what you want about Rodgers and his decision. The fact of the matter is, whether he’s being incredibly selfish or he’s living his truth, he’s out for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, and that’s huge.
The Packers are playing better than ever, and they are truly Super Bowl contenders. The absence of their most valuable player will certainly prove to have effects on the rest of the season, even if he misses only one game.
Will Jordan Love and the Packers be able to snag a win without Aaron Rodgers?
