Rodgers’ positive test leads to report about vaccination status for reigning NFL MVP
Jordan Love to start in place of Rodgers Sunday against Chiefs
A report that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is unvaccinated against COVID-19 casts new light on his friendship with Hollywood star Miles Teller, whose reported refusal to get vaccinated and positive COVID test this summer allegedly cost a studio millions of dollar when production was halted on his new TV series.
The report on Rodgers also raises questions about whether the reigning league
MVP violated NFL safety protocols or lied about his vaccination status when he told reporters in August that he was “immunized.”
With the report, it’s also possible that fans of Rodgers and of his actress fiancée, Shailene Woodley, will look at the popular new celebrity couple differently, in particular at the way they happily publicized their travels last spring to celebrate their engagement.
The trips included two with Teller, Woodley’s “Divergent” films co-star, and Teller’s wife, model Keleigh Sperry.
Rodgers and Woodley hung out with Teller and Sperry at the Kentucky Derby in April, then the foursome enjoyed a lavish, fun-filled vacation in Maui in late May, where they hiked to a waterfall and hit a Maui nightspot for dancing and singing.
NFL media reported Wednesday that Rodgers is not vaccinated, but Packers coach Matt Lafleur would not confirm or deny the report in a press conference. People who have been vaccinated can suffer break-through infections. Rodgers’ positive COVID-19 test means that Jordan Love will start in his place during Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lafleur would only say about Rogers’ vaccination choice: “I think everybody has to make their own personal decision.”
Per NFL policy, vaccinated players or staff who test positive and are asymptomatic can return after two negative tests 24 hours apart. For non-vaccinated players, a 10-day isolation period is required.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports said that Rodgers “basically
lied” about his vaccination status, when he told reporters in August:
“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.”
When Lafleur was asked Wednesday if Rodgers’ answer about being “immunized” was misleading, the coach said “that’s a great question for Aaron.”
Florio also also pointed out the number of times that Rodgers has been seen not wearing a mask during preseason or on the sidelines. Per NFL policy, unvaccinated players are required to wear masks indoors at all times except while eating.
If Rodgers’ reported choice to not be vaccinated is causing headaches for the Packers and for his industry, he has something in common in Teller.
The “Whiplash” star landed in the center of a fierce debate in Hollywood over performers who have expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine or who are refusing to be vaccinated.
In October, a story in the Hollywood Reporter detailed the case of an unnamed high-profile actor, said to be unvaccinated, who was working on a film this summer when he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized.
The actor “was known to the cast and crew as being dismissive of vaccines,” the Reporter said, but after the star tested positive for COVID-19, other crew members also became sick, causing production to be shut down for three weeks and ultimately costing the production company seven figures.
The Daily Mail said in October that the Hollywood Reporter account aligns with its earlier report that alleged that Teller caused headaches on the set of his new film by refusing to be vaccinated. The Mail said that his positive test in late July forced production to halt on the Los Angeles set of “The Offer,” a Paramount+ series about the making of “The Godfather.”
The Daily Mail cited a production source who said in July: “Teller is not vaccinated. He wouldn’t even get the test. Now he’s brought the virus to the set and the whole set had to shut down.”
The Daily Mail also reported that the work stoppage cost the production company $6 million. At the time, Teller’s publicist told the Daily Mail that their “facts are incorrect,” while a rep for Paramount+ told the Hollywood Reporter that the number was less than $6 million.