Tony Romo bashed by NFL fans on Twitter for defending Aaron Rodgers' vaccination status
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to the field on Sunday afternoon after being away from the team for ten days due to COVID-19. The Packers were hosting the Seattle Seahawks, who also welcomed back their quarterback, Russell Wilson, after returning from finger surgery.
The talk wasn't about what was happening on the field, but more in regards to Aaron Rodgers and everything that has happened over the last few weeks. This includes the reigning NFL MVP's stance on COVID-19 vaccination and him testing positive for the virus.
CBS' Jim Nantz and former NFL quarterback Tony Romo were on the call for the late Sunday afternoon matchup. Romo is known for his commentary, sometimes being well-received and other times questionable.
What Romo had to say about the Aaron Rodgers/COVID-19 situation on Sunday afternoon, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
Twitter reacts to Tony Romo defense of Aaron Rodgers
It all started when Aaron Rodgers told reporters in August that he was "immunized" when asked if he had been vaccinated for COVID-19. For months, it was believed that Rodgers had been vaccinated against COVID-19, so when the quarterback tested positive two weeks ago, the whole truth came out.
Rodgers was on the "Pat McAfee Show" days later saying that he was going to be 'cancelled' and continued on about his stance on COVID. Days later he appeared on the show again and said that he was aware that some of his comments came off as insensitive and that he took full responsibility for his words and he understands how devastating the virus has been around the world.
Romo and Nantz discussed all of the details surrounding Rodgers and the backlash that he has received about his comments from the beginning up until now.
When talking about the Aaron Rodgers situation, Romo seemed to feel sorry for him and the challenges he went through instead of the changes that the global pandemic has caused everyone.
“I’m glad he did that; I’m glad he took responsibility for that. I’m glad that he said that he misled people…and I think the biggest thing, you know it’s a polarizing issue, but I can promise you he felt the weight of it the last few weeks, it’s something that he’s not thinking about anything else, and it’s been, make no mistake, a very challenging week for him”
NFL fans quickly took to Twitter to voice their opinions on Romo and Nantz.
Tony Romo knows his X's and O's - very well - but his praise of the way Aaron Rodgers handled the Covid thing reveals that Tony is tone-deaf outside of football. Ditto his comment about Gisele Bundchen. I'm thinking he won't last long.
Tony Romo defending Rodgers is equally disappointing and unsurprising.
Did Tony Romo just make Aaron Rodgers out to be the victim?
There are broadcast journalists, and there are broadcast apologists. Nantz and Romo serving today as Aaron Rodgers’ PR team, in contrast w others like Bradshaw #NFL #GBvsSEA https://t.co/UF2NI2h81s
Listening to Jim Nantz and Tony Romo explain the Aaron Rodgers situation was embarrassing and another example why we shouldn’t expect network broadcast crews to properly discuss controversial issues related to the sport and League that they cover.
Hey @tonyromo, Aaron Rodgers didn’t “mislead” anyone, He lied to everyone!
He said “Yeah…” after being asked if he was vaccinated. That is a straight up lie, not a mislead.
NFL fans were displeased with the fact that Romo and Nantz didn't just state the facts about the situation, but the fact that they continued throughout the broadcast, acting as if everyone wronged Rodgers and not that he was wrong for his actions.
As with other big headlines, this topic is sure to stick around for the foreseeable future.