Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Scientists forced to tackle Rodgers
Popular NFL player’s vaccination stance harmful, experts say
This spring, he was auditioning to be the host of “Jeopardy!” Nearly every day, he pops up on television ads for national brands like State Farm insurance. And on Sundays this fall, he has led the Green Bay Packers to a division-best 7-2 record.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not just the NFL’s reigning MVP, he’s a celebrity who transcends the nation’s most popular sport, a household name on par with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
So when news broke that he tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was unvaccinated, Rodgers justified his decision to not get vaccinated by speaking out against the highly effective vaccines and spewing a stream of misinformation and junk science. Medical professionals were disheartened not just because it will make it harder for them to persuade adults to get vaccinated, but because they are just now vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds.
“When you’re a celebrity, you are given a platform,” said Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “When you choose to do what Aaron Rodgers is doing, which is to use the platform to put out misinformation that could cause people to make bad decisions for themselves or their children, then you have done harm.”
The NFL on Tuesday completed its review of whether Rodgers and the Packers violated any of the league’s COVID19 protocols, which were developed with the NFL Players Association. Rodgers
admitted to flouting those protocols, including attending a Halloween party with teammates where he appeared unmasked. A league source said the team received a $300,000 fine, while Rodgers and another teammate were each fined $14,650, according to ESPN.
Rodgers is in the midst of a 10-day isolation period and did not play in the Packers’ 13-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Like all unvaccinated NFL players who test positive, Rodgers must provide two negative tests, taken 24 hours apart, after his isolation to return to the field, which could come as soon as Saturday.
But the lasting damage from Rodgers’ stance cannot be measured in dollars or games lost or won. Vaccination rates in the NFL are high compared to the
general population. Nearly every coach and staff member who is around players is vaccinated, and 94% of the 2,000 or so players have also been inoculated, according to the league.
But given how popular the league is, even the handful of unvaccinated players get outsize attention. Wide receiver Cole Beasley of the Buffalo Bills, and quarterbacks Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings and Carson Wentz of the Indianapolis Colts have all been criticized for choosing to remain unvaccinated.
But they were upfront about their decisions. Rodgers, by contrast, evaded answering directly when asked if he was vaccinated. He said he was “immunized.”
In an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” last
week, Rodgers said he followed his own “immunization protocol,” though he did not provide details about what it entailed. But vaccination and natural infection are the only ways to gain immunity to the virus, scientists said.
In the interview, Rodgers fueled the controversy by trying to distance himself from conspiracy theorists. “I’m not, you know, some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther,” he said. “I am somebody who’s a critical thinker.”
But many of his statements on the show echo those made by people in the anti-vaccine movement.
“Aaron Rodgers is a smart guy,” said David O’Connor, a virus expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But, he added, “He’s still vulnerable to the blind side blitz of misinformation.”
In the interview, Rodgers suggested that the fact that people were still getting, and dying from, COVID19, meant that the vaccines were not highly effective.
Rodgers also expressed concern that the vaccines might cause fertility issues, a common talking point in the anti-vaccine movement. There is no evidence that the vaccines affect fertility in men or women.
“Those allegations have been made since the vaccines first came on the scene, and they clearly have been addressed many, many times over,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University. He added, “The vaccines are safe and stunningly effective.”
There are a few potentially serious adverse events that have been linked to the vaccines, including a clotting disorder and an inflammation of the heart muscle, but they are very rare. Experts agree that the health risks associated with COVID-19 overwhelmingly outweigh those of vaccination.
Rodgers said he did not follow some protocols, like wearing a mask when speaking with reporters, because he did not agree with them.
O’Connor said that he “cringed” when he heard that Rodgers had not been vaccinated, especially given how many people in Wisconsin have yet to get their shots; 63% of state residents have had at least one vaccine dose, compared to a 67% rate nationally.
“Within the community where he plays, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve vaccine uptake,” he said.