The football player spoke out in a podcast interview two days after news broke that he tested positive for COVID-19.
Aaron Rodgers is speaking out after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Two days after news of his diagnosis made headlines, the 37-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback opened up in an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, where he discussed his reasoning for not being vaccinated -- claiming he's allergic to ingredients in both Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines, among other things.
Rodgers started his 15-minute chat by saying: “I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now, so before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on some of the blatant lies that are out there about myself right now."
Rodgers went on to address his previous comment stating in a press conference that he was "immunized," which most people assumed meant he was vaccinated.
“At the time, my plan was to say that I’ve been immunized,” Rodgers shared. “It wasn’t some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth. Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I’ve been immunized, I would have responded with this. I would’ve said, ‘Look, I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-earther, I am somebody who is a critical thinker, you guys know me, I march to the beat of my own drum, I believe strongly in bodily autonomy.’”
He also added that he felt the media had a "witch hunt" out against athletes who are unvaccinated.
“I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something. Health is not a one-size-fits-all for everybody,” Rodgers said, adding that the CDC’s website advises people like him, who have allergies against the vaccines, to not take them.
He also said he consulted doctors who said the vaccine could be more of a risk to him than COVID itself.
He went on to say that he contacted comedian Joe Rogan for advice. “I consulted with a now good friend of mine, Joe Rogan, after he got COVID and I’ve been doing a lot of stuff that he recommended," he said. "I’m going to have the best immunity possible now based on the 2.5 million-person study from Israel that the people who get COVID and recover have the most robust immunity. I’m thankful for people like Joe stepping up and using their voice."
Later in the interview, Rodgers -- misquoting the late Martin Luther King Jr. -- addressed his reasoning for going against NFL protocols in which unvaccinated players are supposed to wear a mask during press conferences, saying: “You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.”
Rodgers was seemingly referring to MLK's famous 1963 letter from an Alabama jail in which he wrote, “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
Rodgers, who is currently engaged to Shailene Woodley, added that it's a goal of his to become a father someday and said he is concerned that there have been no long-term studies about the vaccine's effect on sterilization and fertility.
Due to his diagnosis, Rodgers will miss Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and could possibly face penalties for any league protocols he may have violated.
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