Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is once again the subject of controversy after he was seen giving a non-socially distanced hug to NFL reporter Erin Andrews on Christmas Day.
Following the Green Day Packers victory over the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay’s star quarterback engaged in a short interview with the reporter.
The two stood at least 6 feet away, but directly after the interview, they were seen embracing in a hug without masks on. This stirred a sequence of controversy directed at both the quarterback and Andrews.
“Look, I’ve known EA [Erin Andrews] for a long time and I think the whole thing is obviously a little bit strange,” the NFL star said when he appeared on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show. Rodgers then went on to defend what he and Andrews did.
“You’ve got to do some eight-feet-apart interview and that’s my friend,” he said. The 38-year-old then pointed out, “But, that’s the same way I’d hug a friend seeing them on the field, or hug a guy on the opposing team that you have respect for and you play against.”
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Aaron Rodgers calls himself a ‘hugger’ in refrence to hug controversy
Rodgers continued and explained that he feels as though he should be able to give his friends a hug, regardless of COVID-19 protocols. He stated, “Look, I do what I’m told in those situations about keeping distance, but I’m a hugger and I enjoy seeing my friends postgame.”
This is not the first time the Green Bay Packers player has been the subject of controversy related to COVID-19. In late 2021, when Rodgers came down with a case of COVID, it was revealed that he had never been vaccinated despite claiming he had been immunized.
Although he argued that he never explicitly stated that he had been vaccinated, the phrase he used strongly insinuated he had. This caused many people within NFL circles to send their criticisms towards Rodgers for lying about his vaccination status and not obeying COVID-19 policies issued by the league.
Sports personality Stephen A. Smith even went as far as publically calling him a liar on television. “Aaron Rodgers is a liar. Period. He lied to his team with a smirk on his face, regarding a matter that is very very serious,” Smith said in November. “This is not about Aaron Rodgers being vaccinated or unvaccinated, this is about Aaron Rodgers looking at reporters and looking into the cameras with a smirk on his face and telling a bald-faced lie.”
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