New details on lengths Green Bay went through to play Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers went to great lengths to ensure quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be on the field this season. Following his positive COVID-19 test, new details have emerged regarding the lengths both the Packers and Rodgers went to handle the situation — not just today, but all season long.
“The Green Bay Packers have known for a very long time that Aaron Rodgers is not vaccinated,” said NFL insider Ian Rapoport, via The Pat McAfee Show. “Rodgers has been following the COVID-19 protocols for those that are unvaccinated.”
Confusion hit a new high when it was revealed the Rodgers was unvaccinated, as it was widely assumed he was. Earlier this season, reporters asked the Packers quarterback in August if he was vaccinated. His response: “Yeah, I’ve been immunized.”
“There are guys on the team who haven’t been vaccinated, it’s a personal decision, I’m not going to judge those guys,” Rodgers said at the time. “It’s an interesting issue I think we’re going to see played out the entire season.”
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Rodgers has been masked-up when talking with players and coaches at Lambeau Field. However, his press conferences have been in-person and maskless — different from those of other unvaccinated players.
“Sources said Rodgers follows masking protocols while interacting with players and coaches inside the team’s headquarters at Lambeau Field,” wrote Demovsky. “However, Rodgers does not wear a mask while in the media auditorium during his weekly and postgame news conferences. The Packers have put other unvaccinated players on Zoom instead of at in-person media sessions.”
Evidently, the Packers have attempted to not draw attention to the fact that Rodgers is unvaccinated.
Aaron Rodgers’ vaccine alternative
Rodgers may not have got a traditional vaccine, but the Packers quarterback believed he should be considered vaccinated and even appealed to the league to do so. Instead of receiving one of three Covid vaccines available for free, Rodgers had an “alternate treatment” prior to reporting to the Packers, according to Demovsky.
Later, Rapoport revealed that the alternative treatment Demovsky mentioned was a homeopathic treatment from Rodgers’ personal doctor.
“Packers QB Aaron Rodgers received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels and asked the NFL to review his status,” tweeted Rapoport. “The NFL, NFLPA and joint docs ruled him as unvaccinated.”
Of course, the NFL and its doctors simply didn’t agree — and continued to consider him unvaccinated.
The Green Bay Packers went to great lengths to ensure Aaron Rodgers would be available for them to play. Still, the Packers quarterback still will miss this weekend’s game due to a positive COVID-19 test.