Former Super Bowl winner says "woke politics" forced him to retire from NFL and become law enforcement officer
Many people have accused the National Football League of being too involved in "woke politics." People like Aaron Rodgers have spoken out against the NFL and some of its policies, including its guidelines concerning COVID-19.
One player who got sick of it was former Kansas City Chiefs player Anthony Sherman. The fullback decided to retire from the league and become a police officer because of "woke politics." Sherman recently appeared on the podcast Coptails and Cocktails to discuss his decision to retire.
When asked if he missed the NFL, Sherman said no.
“I don’t [miss the NFL]. My goal was 10 [years], and I got 10. And the Lord showed me the door with all of the political stances the NFL was making, the COVID policies, all of this nonsense. He was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to make it easy for you. I gave you 10 and then head on down the road.’ And then he opened up another door with all this law enforcement stuff. And it’s been a good transition so far.
Back in 2021, he tweeted "The @NFL is making players wear colored wrist bands now based on vaccination status. Funny, I thought we all agreed on the evils of segregation back in the 60s. Here we are again- only this time it’s based on personal health choices instead of skin color." He followed that tweet up with another one saying "The league clearly values being woke, not awake. What a shame. And what a sham."
Sherman was a member of the Arizona Cardinals from 2011-2012. He then becamse a member of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2012-2020. He was named Second Team All Pro in 2014 and was a member of the Pro Bowl in 2018. He is also a Super Bowl champion (Super Bowl LIV).
Many other professional football players feel the way that Sherman does, but unlike him, they haven't left the league.
NLF MVP Aaron Rodgers took a stand against "woke politics"
Aaron Rodgers was one of the first NFL players to speak out on what he perceived as "woke politics."
Rodgers was very outspoken about taking the COVID-19 vaccine and thought the NFL was caving in to cancel culture and politically correct politics, primarily after using the taunt "I own you" against the Chicago Bears and their fans.
He went on "The Pat McAfee Show" and said this:
There’s a PC woke culture that exists, and there’s a cancel culture at the same time. And it’s based on people’s own feelings of personal miserability or just distaste for their own situations or life or just an enjoyment of holding other people down with their thumb. When I came back and said what I said at what I felt like was the right time and spoke the truth, the same sentiments were shared. Maybe not by as many people, because a lot of people respected what I said, but the same sentiments were shared."
Rodgers, also, recognized that his popularity suffered when he began speaking out. Many fans cheered when he and Tom Brady were eliminated from the NFL playoffs this past season.
Several players feel the same way that Rodgers does, but they aren't in a position of power to say anything. Speaking out would hurt their image. Rodgers speaking out against the culture wars barely touched him, which is why he can continue to speak his mind.