"Difference is black & white" - NFL fans question Aaron Rodgers winning MVP award after controversial season while Colin Kaepernick still left without a team
When Aaron Rodgers won the MVP award, fans of Colin Kaepernick could not help but judge the double standards seemingly on display.
On one end was a player who had misled the NFL about being vaccinated, breaking league protocols on distancing and masking in the process. On the other end was a person who had protested against police brutality and championed the Black Lives Matter movement. The former was celebrated for his achievements by the league whereas the latter was ostracized.
Fans could not help but share their displeasure at the difference in treatment received by Aaron Rodgers and Colin Kaepernick.
Fan reactions comparing Aaron Rodgers and Colin Kaepernick
Some fans pointed out that while Rodgers was judged solely based on what he did on the field, despite his apparent vaccination stance. Kaepernick, meanwhile, was judged almost exclusively for what he did off the field and the societal views he holds.
Aaron Rodgers gets rewarded with MVP even after lying to the entire country.
Colin Kaepernick will probably never play in the NFL again for speaking the truth.
Others took to highlighting the ostemsible racial undertones of the situation.
Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers. The difference is black and white.
Some professed to having never watched an NFL game this season because of such duplicity. If this is indeed true and if this were to become a movement, one imagines that the NFL would be forced to reverse course on this issue.
Aaron Rodgers MVP while lying and Colin Kaepernick still out in the cold for telling the truth is all you need to know why I haven't watched a single NFL game this season.
One fan's tweet suggested that what Aaron Rodgers did could have had real-life consequences when he appeared without a mask at an indoor press conference despite NFL protocols forbidding unvaccinated players to do so. This seemingly carries a lesser punishment than speaking out about "police brutality and social justice."
@AaronRodgers12 wins mvp after lying about his vaccination status and didn’t care one of the reporters at their pressers has cancer
@Kaepernick7 will never play a down again and he was telling the truth about police brutality and social justice.
Make it make sense
While some people challenged this assertion, others were quick to point out that Colin Kaepernick and Aaron Rodgers have appeared in the same number of Super Bowls. This seemingly suggests that their on-field credentials are similar in some regard and thus they should be afforded the same type of treatment off the field.
Aaron Rodgers and Colin Kaepernick have played in the same number of Super Bowls
One fan took the tack of tweeting directly to the NFL on this matter, calling them a "racist organization." They pointed out that Aaron Rodgers was midly inconvenienced by his situation, whereas the league never backed Colin Kaepernick for his discourse.
@NFL Gentlemen, yours is a racist organization. The fact you did not back Colin Kaepernick but give a teeny tiny slap on the wrist to anti-VAX or Aaron Rodgers, speaks volumes. I am a Cheesehead, and I will not watch that man play again.
One fan, however, took aim at those who say that Aaron Rodgers' freedom of speech dictates that he can say whatever he wants, while the same did not apply to Colin Kaepernick, who by and large practiced a "silent protest."
@sydneyr0se …maybe the same people simultaneously defending Aaron Rodgers’ right to vocally defend his anti-vax stance while criticizing Colin Kaepernick for his silent protest. Maybe…
Ultimately, though, there is no doubt that Aaron is a worthy winner on the field, and his MVP award is richly deserved. But the fact that he got to play an entire season despite the controversies surrounding him makes it painfully clear that Kaepernick was not afforded the same luxury.