Aaron Rodgers responds to claims that he broke NFL protocols
As part of a long-winded answer about his positive COVID-19 test and vaccination status, Aaron Rodgers addressed whether he followed the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols on The Pat McAfee Show Friday.
Rodgers made one of his regular appearances on the show to discuss the events of the week while quarantining. The Green Bay Packers quarterback tested positive on Wednesday, meaning he has to isolate for 10 days.
After talking about why he didn’t get the vaccine, Rodgers told McAfee he has done what the NFL expects of unvaccinated players. He added he followed all but one of the protocols the NFL put in place.
Aaron Rodgers: ‘I have followed every single protocol to a T’
“Let me hit on protocols now because that’s obviously been out there, as well,” Rodgers said. “I have followed every single protocol to a T, minus that one that I just mentioned [wearing a mask at the podium during press conferences] because that makes absolutely no sense to me.
“But my daily routine is the routine of an unvaccinated person. … [At] the start of the season, vaccinated people test once every two weeks, non-vaccinated once a day. Again, that’s not based on science at all. You could have vaccinated people who actually carry and spread the virus not testing for two weeks and non-vaccinated people are the safest people in the building because we’re the ones who are testing every single day and wearing a mask the entire time. But instead, we’re made to think we’re the dangerous ones, we’re the super spreaders … but these protocols we’ve had to go through. Test every single day, 5 a.m. on noon games, as well, which I don’t understand 5 a.m., but 5 a.m. in the morning on noon games.
“You test in the morning, and before you can go into the facility, you’ve got to wait in your car for 30-40 minutes before you can go in. vaccinated people test and just go right in. So we had somebody test the other day. Vaccinated person, test, [went] in, [had] breakfast, [tested] positive. … Wait in my car, mask every day in the facility, so I have to mask up every single day in the facility. Physically distance from everybody else.
“I have major travel restrictions, so I can’t leave the hotel, can’t have dinner with teammates even though I tested negative that morning to even get on the flight. The only people I see at the hotel are vaccinated people. … I have to wear a mask the entire time. I can’t see anybody after the game, I work out off to the side in the weight room in a mask. [There’s been] many studies about the efficacy of masks for workouts or the higher levels of CO2 inhaled during workouts and how it affects performance and body function. Not allowed to use the sauna or the steam room. I have to wear a yellow wristband at all times, basically shouting to the world I am unclean and unvaxxed.
“And in this situation now, 10 days off regardless of test or symptoms. So I’m sitting here two days in. I had some symptoms Tuesday night, tested positive Wednesday night. Didn’t feel great yesterday … but I feel really good today. This is Friday. But 10 days off regardless, where a vaccinated person just has to have two back-to-back negative tests. When it comes to the science again, for non-vaccinated, it came up last week because Allen Lazard was a close contact to Davante Adams and Allen is not vaxxed.
“They obviously tried to cancel [Lazard] for that, but they also didn’t bring up the fact that he tested negative every single day. So just because he was close contact and not vaxxed, this is what the league has done, they’ve made it hard for people to have a decision because ‘Oh, well, you’re a close contact, so you’re out five days.’ Not based on any science other than we’re going to just keep this propaganda narrative going that unvaccinated people are the most dangerous people in society.”