Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made his first public comments Friday after testing positive for COVID-19, addressing why he told the news media in August that he was “immunized” and why he is not vaccinated.
Rodgers will not play in Sunday’s game against Kansas City Chiefs and won’t be allowed at the team facility for the next 10 days, according to NFL protocols.
He addressed the controversy and backlash on the “Pat McAfee Show,” offering a strong rebuke of the entire process and referencing several debunked talking points among people opposed to the vaccine.
"I'm not an anti-vaxx, flat-earther.. I have an allergy to an ingredient that's in the mRNA vaccines. I found a long term immunization protocol to protect myself & I'm very proud of the research that went into that" ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/FDMmI5rZmO
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 5, 2021
“I am somebody who’s a critical thinker,” he said. “I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body.”
However, Rodgers said he is not a so-called “anti-vaxxer.”
“I am not a COVID-denier or any (expletive) like that,” Rodgers said. “I just wanted to make the best choice for my body.”
Rodgers said he has been tested daily per NFL protocol and said he was “in the cross hairs of the woke mob right now.
“So, before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I’d like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there. I tested for COVID over 300 times before testing for possible positive and I probably got it from a vaccinated player,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers also said he consulted with his friend Joe Rogan and mentioned ivermectin, a medicine that is generally used to treat threadworms, roundworms and other parasites. That medicine is not approved for use in batting COVID-19 by the Food and Drug Administration.
“The specific protocol, I am going to keep between me and my doctors,” he said.
"This vaccine is revolutionary however we don't know a whole lot about it. For the media taking shots at me you now know my story so quit lying about me.. personal health decisions in my opinion should be private" ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/CxovoT7Icw
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 5, 2021
Rodgers said he was excited for his backup Jordan Love and has talked to him concerning Sunday’s game.
“I feel really good and if this was the flu, I would be playing on Sunday. I hope we can take a step back, quit lying, stop with the witch hunt and canceling,” he said.
