Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Tuesday that he’s “not an activist” and that he plans to get back to what he does best — “playing ball.” He expects to do that on Sunday.
He also apologized to those who “felt misled” by his comments over his vaccination status.
Rodgers made the comments on the “Pat McAfee Show,” less than a week after his last appearance on the show that attracted national scrutiny and, in some cases, derision and scorn while making the reigning Most Valuable Player a punchline on social media and late night television.
It all started when Rodgers tested positive last week for COVID-19, which came as a surprise to many who thought he was vaccinated. Instead, Rodgers said he was “immunized” before listing off the reasons why he refused to get vaccinated.
While standing by his decision Tuesday, Rodgers brought it back to center.
“I’m an athlete, I’m not an activist,” Rodgers told McAfee. “I’m gonna get back to doing what I do best and that’s playing ball. I shared my opinion. It involved a lot of study. … Further comments I’m gonna keep between myself and my doctors. I don’t have further comments.”
He also issued an apology Tuesday.
“I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading. And to anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said he is feeling “really good.”
Because he’s unvaccinated, he had to spend at least 10 days away from the team facility. That period ends on Saturday. He needs to be cleared by an independent doctor in order to be eligible to return, in addition to returning negative tests and being asymptomatic.
Though Jordan Love is the starter in practice this week, Rodgers has been active on team meetings virtually.
Since his appearance on McAfee’s show last week, Rodgers was dropped as a spokesperson by Green Bay-based Prevea Health after 11 years while another sponsor, State Farm, came out in support of Rodgers.
At issue is that Rodgers said he wasn’t vaccinated but rather had “immunized” himself against the coronavirus by following alternate therapies after talking to an anti-vax radio show host, Joe Rogan.
Rodgers said he is allergic to an ingredient in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, concerned about the side effects of the Johnson & Johnson shot, and worried whether being vaccinated could impact fertility as he looks forward to becoming a father. He also asserted he probably caught COVID from a vaccinated teammate.
He also said he was “in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now.”
The Packers (7-2), who lost at Kansas City in Rodgers’ absence last Sunday, will host the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) on Sunday. The Packers expect to have Rodgers back, but the QB allowed that there’s a “small possibility” he won’t play.
Rodgers, 37, has completed 67.1 percent of his passes this season for 1,894 yards with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in eight games.
–Field Level Media
