UPDATED: On November 3, reports revealed that Rodgers has been benched for a second time this year after he tested positive for COVID-19. Back in August, the quarterback told the public that he had “been immunized” from the virus.
Many people assumed that had meant he was vaccinated making his latest positive result a breakthrough case. However, that is not the case at all it seems. As ProFootballTalk reports, Rodgers was never vaccinated.
Back in August, this is what Rodgers told reporters. “Yeah, I’ve been immunized. There’s guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated. I think it’s a personal decision, I’m not gonna judge those guys.” Clearly, it has now been revealed that one of “those guys” he wouldn’t be judging is himself.
As PFT continued in their report, the reporter said, “Rodgers abhors criticism,” and as a result deliberately concealed his unvaccinated status. “That makes it much worse. He deliberately violated COVID protocols in order to keep secret his status — in order to avoid being criticized.”
Rodgers has yet to issue a statement regarding his behavior and positive COVID result.
As reported on August 27, 2021, by Matt Sinclair: Green Bay Packers star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has just confirmed his vaccination status. The 37-year-old athlete is among the small percentage of NFL players who have chosen to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Despite the fact that the NFL currently holds no requirements for being fully vaccinated, Rodgers confirmed with reporters that he has “been immunized”, as reported by People.
There is talk about mandates being required from individual teams or venues, which has been a topic of discussion since the start of the pandemic. Rodgers even commented on Thursday, “It’s an interesting issue that I think we will see played out through the entire season.”
Rodgers then went on to state, “There are guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated and it’s a personal decision, not going to judge those guys.”
Matt LaFleur, coach for the Packers, also had some words to share in regards to his team’s vaccination rates. Out of the 89 players, 78 players were vaccinated and LaFleur is encouraging more individuals to move forward with getting vaccinated.
“Right now, we’ve got 11 guys that aren’t. So, all we’re going to do is continue to tell them what the protocols are and try to educate guys as best we can and give them the information. And then they get to make the decision for themselves,” he said, according to PackersNews.com.
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Similar to Aaron Rodgers, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians also “doesn’t give a crap.”
Although the NFL has certain rules in place in order to try and decrease the spread of COVID, some players are still contracting the virus and ending up on the sidelines. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians explained that “For us, life is not normal. We’re pretty much under the same protocols as last year. Just because that’s the way it is, especially living here. With Tennessee coming in and going out to dinner, they found out the hard way and so did Ryan,” according to NFL.com.
Arians elaborated and expressed similar viewpoints as Aaron Rodgers, “We can only tell them so much … our guys are going to make a bunch of sacrifices that you have to make now. Families at the hotel, all of those things are all out the window… I don’t give a crap if they’re vaccinated or not. They’re not going anywhere.”
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, has also expressed frustrations with players getting pushed to the sidelines due to COVID. “I don’t really say anything here. To me, this is a team game. We rely on each other to play. We rely on each other to win. We have to have each other. There are 11 guys out there at any one time to be trite about it,” Jones stated in an interview with 105.3 The Fan.
He continued, and shared the sentiments, “You have to count on the other guy being available. And you certainly don’t want to be doing anything that causes your teammates to not be available. All of that comes to the same conclusion as far as what you agreed to be as far as a player, be a part of a team.”
Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.
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