"They're taking real risks with their careers" - John Stockton backs Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers' anti-vaxx stance
Former NBA star John Stockton, along with Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers, have been some of the loudest voices in the anti-vaxx movement.
A lot of NFL fans turned on Aaron Rodgers when they found out that he lied about being vaccinated. It wasn't until Rodgers came down with COVID that the public found out he wasn't vaccinated and had no intentions of doing so.
Like Aaron Rodgers, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets took the same stance, but unlike Rodgers, he was upfront about it. Irving's stance has cost him several games this NBA season.
Stockton has also been called out. His former school, Gonzaga, banned him because he refused to wear a mask at games. While he supports their right not to be vaccinated, Stockton believes that Irving's and Rodgers' anti-vaxx stance may interfere with their careers.
NBA legend John Stockton visited the Fearless Army today and talked about getting his Gonzaga season tickets stripped because he refused to wear a mask inside the arena. "I felt like I had a duty to not (wear a mask). Somebody has gotta stand up for these kids." https://t.co/yDDtKZV1Gl
Stockton also said this to Jason Whitlock:
"They're [Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers] taking real risks with their careers, with their advertisements." Stockton added. "These guys have opportunities to do ads and make a lot of money. They're risking all of that when you speak out against the narrative. If you didn't hear it before, I'm backing him now."
So far, their stance hasn't really cost them any money, but it has cost them some fans.
Why NFL fans turned on Aaron Rodgers
While Rodgers is still very popular among some NFL fans, his popularity among the general public has suffered for several reasons. The main reason is his anti-vaxx stance.
Rodgers wasn't the only NFL player who took a stand against getting the vaccine, but he was the loudest. Even a week before the Packers game against the 49ers in the playoffs, Rodgers said that he felt like his voice was being silenced about the issue, which clearly wasn't true because he was speaking to the media about it then.
Many fans and media felt that Rodgers spent too much time talking about that issue and not worrying about the game, which the Packers lost.
Fans and media were basically thrilled that Rodgers and the Packers were kicked out of the playoffs and made fun of him on social media.
Emo Aaron Rodgers took that playoff loss hard https://t.co/8UDWTTUAsv
Rodgers took notice and even said that he knows fans don't like him because of his anti-vaxx stance, but it doesn't seem to bother him or his advertisers.
Most of Rodgers' clients have decided to stick with him, as well as the Packers, who just made Rodgers one of the highest paid players in the NFL, so business continues to be good for the four-time MVP.