"I'm an athlete, I'm not an activist"- Aaron Rodgers declares he won't talk about vaccination status anymore
Last week, when the news broke that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had not only tested positive for COVID-19 but was also unvaccinated, the NFL world buzzed. Considering Rodgers' previous statement at the start of training camp that he was 'immunized,' everyone assumed he had taken the COVID-19 vaccination.
Since Rodgers was unvaccinated, he missed last week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. On Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers made his scheduled weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. This time, it seemed that Rodgers had a different tone about his current situation.
Rodgers spoke for several minutes, discussing cancel culture, politics and the regime of antibodies and Ivermectin that he was taking to help beat the virus. The news of Rodgers being unvaccinated took the NFL world by storm, but the reaction to his interview was even more significant.
On Friday, Rodgers made an unscheduled appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, where the former NFL punter allowed the quarterback to speak for himself.
Aaron Rodgers says he's an "athlete, not an activist"
After spending several minutes talking about politics and how he shouldn't be labeled an "anti-vaxxer," Aaron Rodgers has now changed his tune.
After being passionate about his stance last week on the COVID-19 vaccine, Rodgers said on Tuesday that he would stick to what he knows, and that's being an athlete:
"I'm an athlete, I'm not an activist, and I'm going to get back to doing what I do best, and that's playing football."
"I'm an athlete not an activist.. I shared my opinion & it was what I felt was in my best interest for my body" ~@AaronRodgers12
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Aaron Rodgers also said that he takes responsibility for some of the things he has said so far. Rodgers acknowledged that he is a role model to many and that his comments didn't come off as someone who recognized the seriousness of the pandemic:
"I acknowledge that I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading.. to anybody who felt misled by those comments I take full responsibility."
Where are you post Covid getting back into football Aaron??
"It's hard to be away from the team & I'm proud of the way they battled on Sunday" ~@AaronRodgers12
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McAfee did go on to ask Rodgers if he would play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers anticipate that he will be cleared in time to take the field against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday without practice.
Rodgers' ten-day quarantine period for COVID ends on Saturday, but he will still have to go through the NFL's health and safety protocols to ensure he is well enough to take the field.