Rodgers, Packers fined over COVID protocols
Quarterback stands by comments about vaccination position
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Tuesday he stands behind the comments he made last week about why he didn’t get vaccinated for COVID-19, but acknowledges misleading some people about his status before testing positive.
Rodgers spoke on “The Pat Mcafee Show” on Youtube and Siriusxm, four days after discussing on the same outlet his reasons for avoiding a vaccine. Rodgers tested positive Wednesday, was unavailable to play in the Packers’ 13-7 loss Sunday at Kansas City and remains quarantined in his Green Bay home.
“I shared an opinion that’s polarizing,” Rodgers said. “I get it. And I misled some people about my status, which I take full responsibility of, those comments. But in the end, I have to stay true to who I am and what I’m about. I stand behind the things that I said.”
Later Tuesday, the NFL fined the Packers $300,000 and issued $14,650 fines to Rodgers and wide receiver Allen Lazard for violations of league and players’ union protocols. ESPN first reported the fines.
When he was asked about his vaccination status in an Aug. 26 news conference, Rodgers replied by saying, “Yeah, I’m immunized.”
Rodgers had said Friday he sought alternative treatments rather than the Nfl-endorsed vaccinations because he is allergic to an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. He didn’t specify the ingredient.
The three-time NFL MVP said he didn’t want the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after hearing of multiple people who’d had adverse reactions to it. Rodgers also said he was worried about potential fertility issues from getting one of these three vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems in men or women and that vaccinations are recommended for people who want to have children.
“I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading,” Rodgers said. “To anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments.”
Rodgers didn’t specify the comments he was referencing at the time. But about 20 minutes later, he acknowledged that he had misled some people about his vaccination status.
The NFL determined in its review that Rodgers and Lazard attended a Halloween party while unvaccinated. League protocols prohibit unvaccinated players from gathering outside of the club facility in a group of more than three players.
While Rodgers has appeared at news conferences unmasked regularly, a review of video from the club facility showed no widespread or systemic mask-wearing violations aside from a few isolated incidents involving Rodgers and Lazard. The Packers were fined in part because they knew about the protocol violations at the Halloween party but didn’t discipline either player or inform the league.
League officials warned the Packers that future violations could lead to more disciplinary measures including a possible change in draft position or loss of picks.
In his radio show appearance Tuesday, Rodgers emphasized that he realizes the gravity of the pandemic and its impact. Rodgers had talked Friday about being “in the crosshairs of the woke mob” and wanting to tell his side of the story “before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket.”