'Immunized' Aaron Rodgers doubles down on anti-vax stance, cancels Big Pharma’s Moderna at Novak Djokovic's US Open showdown
Aaron Rodgers and Novak Djokovic are, without a doubt, two of the most successful athletes in the world.
Rodgers is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has seen his greatest successes in his 30s, while Djokovic is a multiple-time tennis champion who, even at 36, is still performing at peak level.
They also share another controversial similarity: both oppose vaccination against COVID-19, even as the disease still lingers in parts of the world. Rodgers even immortalized his status with this preseason quote:
"Yeah, I'm immunized."
Aaron Rodgers takes a dig at unvaccinated status in latest Instagram story
Aaron Rodgers' move to the New York Jets is a story that has been covered countless times across various media platforms. However, what has not been as widely documented are his ways of acclimating himself to his new city.
He has watched a New York Knicks game with Sauce Gardner. He has attended a Taylor Swift concert at MetLife Stadium, but on Sunday, Rodgers took his mission to a whole new level.
Sitting courtside at the ongoing US Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows to watch Novak Djokovic play, he later shared an image with "Moderna" (a COVID-19 vaccine brand made by Big Pharma) crossed out with a red line ("canceling" it) and #novaxdjokovic on this Instagram Story:
"Bucket list (check emoji) being able to witness the greatness of (Djokovic) in person at Arthur Ashe Stadium"
Aaron Rodgers' unvaccinated status, explained
Between 2011 and 2020, fans had recognized Aaron Rodgers for two things: winning plenty of regular-season accolades yet faltering in the playoffs and having an affinity for "exotic substances", i.e. psychedelics.
In 2021, some shocking news came: he tested positive for COVID-19. During the preseason, he had been asked whether he had been vaccinated, and he had given the quote above.
Soon, the extent of Rodgers' deceit emerged. Rather than receive a shot, he had undergone homeopathy and was committing multiple protocol violations wherever he went, like failing to maintain social distancing and forgoing personal protection equipment like masks.
He would later explain his stance to Joe Rogan, saying that an allergy to an ingredient of the vaccine drove him away:
"One of the most difficult parts about the whole process was that there was two different classes of player at the facility. The vaxxed had full privileges. They tested once every two weeks. ... Non-vaxxed (were) fully masked, zero privileges on the road... what we realize now are crazy policies, and that's what got me into trouble.
"I thought there was a possibility that I say I'm immunized and maybe (the reporters) understand what that means, maybe they don't, maybe they follow up. They didn't, so then I go into the season with them thinking that I was vaccinated ... I knew at some point, if I contract COVID or if word got out ... it was possible I would have to answer the question."
Those violations resulted in fines of $14,650 for Rodgers and $300,000 for the Green Bay Packers. He would later apologize on his friend Pat McAfee's show twice.