Aaron Rodgers is defending his claim to reporters that he was immunized, although he didn’t receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
During his interview with the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, the Green Bay Packers quarterback said he wanted to “set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself right now.”
The 37-year-old NFL player was placed on the Packers’ reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week.
During a press conference team coach, Matt LaFleur would not say if Rodgers had tested positive for the virus — despite several outlets reporting he had. LaFleur only stated that the star was currently in COVID-19 protocols and was unsure when Rodgers would return to play.
Several news outlets reported that Rodgers was unvaccinated which left some puzzled because in August he had told reporters and news outlets that he’d “been immunized” ahead of the upcoming season, PEOPLE reported.
“There’s guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated and it’s a personal decision, not going to judge those guys,” Rodgers stated.
During the interview, Rodgers did confirm he had contracted the virus and said he “didn’t lie in the initial press conference.”
“During that time, it was a very witch hunt that was going on across the league,” noting that he felt there was a pressure to disclose personal health information, which he disagrees with.
“And at the time my plan was to say that I have been immunized,” the athlete continued. “It wasn’t some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth. … Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I had been immunized. I would have responded with this, I would have said, ‘Look, I’m not, you know some sort of anti-vaxx, flat-earther. I am somebody who is a critical thinker.’ ”
He also claims he is allergic to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), and refused to receive the Johnson & Johnson shot because he “heard of multiple people who had had adverse events around getting the J&J.”
The quarterback then said he has done extensive research and consulted with doctors, and found “there was an immunization protocol that I could go through to best protect myself and my teammates.”
He admitted to taking ivermectin after consulting Joe Rogan. The drug is used foremost to treat or prevent parasites in animals and is not approved by the FDA for treating or preventing COVID-19.
Rodgers noted that he is not someone who doesn’t believe in COVID, and follows the NFL’s protocols. He said he is tested for the virus every day.
“The league was fully aware of it upon my return to the Packers,” he said of the NFL knowing he was unvaccinated. “It was at that point that I petitioned them to accept my immunization status as under their vaccination protocol. At the time, they had only had the big three is what they were going to do.”
Here’s the video on August 26th when Aaron Rodgers was directly asked if he had been vaccinated pic.twitter.com/kskQDRpWi8
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 3, 2021
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