The NFL has hotly denied a claim by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that a league doctor told him vaccinated people couldn’t catch or pass on Covid.
Mr Rodgers said during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, that a “main” doctor from the NFL had given him misleading information about the virus.
“One of the main docs said it’s impossible for a vaccinated person to get Covid or spread Covid,” said Mr Rodgers. “We know now that information is totally false.”
In an emailed statement, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy denied that any such false advice had been given.
“No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that,” he said.
Health officials say that while vaccines are proven to reduce the likelihood of severe illness and death from Covid, they are not completely effective against contracting or spreading the disease.
During the interview, Mr Rodgers defended his decision not to get the vaccine, after he missed Sunday’s game due to his Covid status, reported NPR. Following a positive test, Mr Rodgers was unable to play in the match which the Packers lost 13-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mr Rodgers also said in the interview that he was allergic to an ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. He added that he considered himself “immunised”, by following a separate protocol recommended by his personal medical team, but said the NFL had not accepted his immunisation plan as an alternative to getting vaccinated.
