Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers has acknowledged in an upcoming unauthorized biography that he should have been honest about his COVID-19 vaccination status during the 2021 season, according to ESPN.
In November 2021, Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 and was sidelined for a minimum of 10 days, following protocols for unvaccinated players. Prior to this, he had implied in August that he was vaccinated by stating he was “immunized.” This resulted in him missing a crucial matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rodgers stated, “If there’s one thing I wish could have gone different, it’s that, because that’s the only thing (critics) could hit me with,” in the biography titled “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” authored by Ian O’Connor, as reported by ESPN.
Before attending the Packers’ training camp in July 2021, Rodgers sought the NFL’s approval for an alternative treatment to be considered equivalent to vaccination. His personal doctor provided him with homeopathic treatment to boost his antibody levels, and Rodgers requested the NFL to reassess his vaccination status, which was ultimately denied.
Reflecting on the situation, Rodgers expressed, “But if I could do it again, I would have said (in August), ‘F–k the appeal. I’m just going to tell them I’m allergic to PEG, I’m not getting Johnson & Johnson, I’m not going to be vaxxed.'” He noted that he had an immunization card from his holistic doctor that resembled a vaccination card. He clarified, “I wasn’t trying to pawn it off as a vaccine card, but I said, ‘Listen, here’s my protocol. Here’s what you can follow to look this up.’ And it was an ongoing appeal. So, if I had just said (I was unvaccinated) in the moment, there’s no chance that the appeal would have been handled the exact same way.”
Despite these controversies, Rodgers won the MVP award for the second consecutive season in 2021, marking the end of his Pro Bowl career with the Packers. The team traded him to the New York Jets during the 2023 offseason.
