UPDATED 11/9, 2:42 p.m. ET: Aaron Rodgers stopped by the Pat McAfee Show again on Tuesday to clarify comments he made regarding his vaccination status last Friday.
“I do realize I am a role model,” Rodgers said. “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.”
The Green Bay Packers quarterback admitted he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 because he believes in bodily autonomy. “Stuff can hurt your feelings. Look, I shared a polarizing opinion,” Rodgers said. “There’s going to be people that don’t like you, hate you for what you’ve said…and that’s fine. I believe people are entitled to their opinion, even if it’s not an opinion that’s favorable to me.”
He concluded by saying he shares empathy with those who have been affected by COVID.
“I have a ton of empathy [with people] who’ve been going through the worst part of this pandemic,” he said. “With lives that were lost and lives that were forever changed, I have a ton of compassion for those people.”
Rodgers comments also come as Pfizer asks the FDA to broaden its booster shot approval so everyone over the age of 18 will be eligible. The FDA still needs to review this request.
See original story below.
Just a few days after he tested positive for COVID-19, Aaron Rodgers stopped by the Pat McAfee Show and talked about his vaccination status and more.
During his bizarre COVID-19 vaccine rant, Rodgers brought up Martin Luther King Jr. and misquoted the late civil rights leader. “You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense,” Rogers said. He also revealed that he took medical advice from Joe Rogan. After speaking with Rogan, Rodgers said he ended up taking ivermectin. (Note: The FDA has urged people not to take ivermectin to treat COVID-19.)
“I’ve consulted with a now-good friend of mine, Joe Rogan, after he got COVID and I’ve been doing a lot of the stuff that he recommended in his podcasts and on the phone to me,” the quarterback said.
Rodgers also claimed that he is “allergic” to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine without offering details.
“I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now,” Rodgers told McAfee and co-host A.J. Hawk. “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.”
Rodgers continued, “I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-earther. I’m somebody who’s a critical thinker. I march to the beat of my own drum. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy. Not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or some crazed group of individuals.”
Rodgers opened up about his decision not to be vaccinated, saying he thought it “was in my best interest for my body.”
“My desire to immunize myself was what was best for my body and that’s why this is so important to me,” the 37-year-old quarterback explained. “I made a decision that was in my best interest for my body. I’m not telling somebody to get vaccinated or not get vaccinated.”
Rodgers, who will miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, went on to reveal that the Green Bay Packers organization, as well as his teammates, were aware of his decision not to be vaccinated.
“The organization and my teammates knew exactly what my status was,” he shared. “There was nothing that was hidden. I have followed every single protocol and a lot of the protocols aren’t based on science at all.”
You can check out the interview up top.
