NFL

Aaron Rodgers Defends Vaccine Decision, Claims He ‘Didn't Lie'

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Aaron Rodgers defends vaccine decision, claims he ‘didn’t lie’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Aaron Rodgers won’t play for the Green Bay Packers this weekend after testing positive for COVID-19. But that didn’t stop him from telling his side of the story.

Rodgers, who previously said he was “immunized” but was later revealed to not be vaccinated, joined the Pat McAfee Show on Friday.

"I realize I'm in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now, so before the final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I'd like to explain myself,” Rodgers said to open the interview.

He claimed he didn’t lie in the preseason press conference where he said he was immunized, and that there was a “witch hunt” at the time regarding vaccination status.

The 37-year-old Rodgers stated that he has an allergy to an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. If he had an allergy, though, the NFL would have granted his request for a medical exemption from the vaccine, which it did not grant.

Regardless, that left the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as his only option. Citing blood clotting concerns with the J&J vaccine, Rodgers opted against it. Yale Medicine found that six women between the ages of 18 and 48 suffered from blood clots as a result of the vaccine. Over 15 million Americans were fully vaccinated through J&J as of mid-October, according to Yale Medicine. Rodgers also cited concerns about fertility from the vaccine, which have been disproven by the CDC.

Rodgers later said the NFL is “going to keep this propaganda going” against unvaccinated individuals. “That is what the media is trying to do. They’re trying to shame and out (unvaccinated players).

“This idea that it's this pandemic of the unvaccinated is a total lie. … You didn't know my story, now you do. So quit lying about me.”

Since being diagnosed, Rodgers said he has consulted with his “now good friend” Joe Rogan about treatment. Rogan notoriously took ivermectin to treat COVID-19 despite strong recommendations against it from the FDA. Rodgers said he has “been doing a lot of the stuff that he recommended in his podcasts and on the phone to me,” including taking ivermectin.

The concern for the Packers, outside of Rodgers’ health, is if NFL COVID protocols were followed. Rodgers claims that he has “followed every single protocol to a T, except that one that makes absolutely no sense to me.” The one that “makes absolutely no sense” to him is wearing a mask during press conferences, which he has not done this season.

Rodgers did correctly state that he is not subject to daily COVID-19 testing from the NFL for the next 90 days after testing positive. He will still be screened for symptoms and undergo routine weekly tests.

It’s unclear if there will be any punishments from the NFL to Rodgers or the Packers. For now, Jordan Love will make his NFL debut at quarterback against the Chiefs on Sunday while Rodgers watches from home.

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