Aaron Rogers Controversy: What’s Going On With The America’s Athlete Vaccine Issue?

Aaron Rogers Controversy: In the wake of the news that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had tested positive for COVID-19 and had lied to the public about his immunization status, public opinion of Rodgers took a major knock.

Due to the positive test, Rodgers was unable to play in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and it is now unknown if he will be able to play against the Seattle Seahawks next week.

If the NFL determines that Rodgers and the team did not follow league rules regarding unvaccinated athletes, they might be fined. Let’s move and find out about the Aaron Rogers Controversy. Must Check Peter Steele Controversy

Aaron Rogers Controversy

Aaron Rodgers’s COVID-19 immunization status remained one of the most intriguing and controversial stories of the 2021 season. The Packers star brought up the incident again on Saturday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, explaining to host Joe Rogan that his now-infamous “I’m immunized” remark was a deliberate diversion.

Rodgers, 38, talked about how he revealed his sexual orientation to the media last August. The veteran quarterback explained to Rogan that he was uncomfortable with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and allergic to an ingredient used in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines (glycol, or PEG), so he opted for an “immunization process through a holistic doctor” after learning that the NFL had denied his medical exemption.

After missing Week 9 with a positive COVID-19 test, Rodgers opened up to Rogan about his preparation for the famous press conference last summer after learning that the NFL had been interrogating “a number of other great quarterbacks” about their immunization status.

Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers talk COVID-19

Vaccine “misinformation” spread by the “mainstream media” was another topic discussed by Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers during this podcast episode. The mRNA vaccines recommended by the CDC were not given to Rodgers because he claimed early in the program to be allergic to polyethylene glycol (PEG).

Many people believed Rodgers was allergic to PEG when he originally announced he couldn’t take the mRNA Covid immunizations last season, following a positive Covid test that kept him out of action against the Kansas City Chiefs.

PEG is one of the few compounds that isn’t included in the J&J immunization that was temporarily halted after six women experienced complications with blood clots. The vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna contain PEG.

On April 23, 2021, the NFL lifted its suspension of the J&J vaccination, therefore the league likely told Rodgers that he could continue to take the vaccine despite his PEG allergy.

But Rodgers thinks the league and the league’s general managers “coerced” his teammates and the club into increasing their total number of immunizations. A number of times throughout the podcast, Rodgers mentioned that seven to 10 of his colleagues were not immunized last year.

Allen Lazard, a receiver for the team, was the only other member of the 2021 squad who was apparently unvaccinated. Lazard was fined by the NFL for the same reason as Rodgers was: attending a Halloween party, where he was likely exposed to the Covid virus.

Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers talk COVID-19
Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers talk COVID-19

In November of 2021, Rodgers fell ill with COVID-19, most likely due to his sharing needles with an unvaccinated teammate. Rodgers has been criticized for not wearing a mask when speaking to the media during training camp and the regular season, and the Packers penalized him that month for attending a Halloween party with 18 unvaccinated colleagues.

After news spread that Rodgers had gotten the illness, he told Rogan he anticipated even more criticism. In an interview with Joe Rogan, he said, “I knew at some time if I contracted COVID or if word came out, because it’s the NFL and there are leaks everywhere, it was probable I’d have to answer the questions.”

Then the s–t hit the fan because I lied and put the safety of my neighbours, my teammates, and everyone else in peril. After that, the attacks on me, my word, and my integrity began.

To start his 18th season with the Packers, Rodgers will be under a different kind of scrutiny than he’s been used to in the past due to the NFL’s plans to introduce significant modifications to its COVID protocol for the ’22 campaign. The four-time NFL MVP led the Packers to a 13-4 record last year while throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns, and only four interceptions.

NFL Makes Significant Change to COVID-19 Protocols for 2022 Season

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL and NFLPA will no longer mandate COVID-19 surveillance testing of players and coaches. For the first time since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the United States, the league is making progress toward resuming its pre-pandemic state of normalcy.

The league also announced in March that the use of COVID-19 protocols was unnecessary. Though, “where clinically required and/or at the instruction of the club physician,” testing will continue to take place for players and personnel.

In addition, clubgoers will be required to take a test and return a negative result before being admitted. Now that COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are legal in all 50 states, businesses and other groups can decide for themselves whether or not to demand them.

It is mandatory that all team members and personnel stay at the team hotel during training camp. Teams no longer need league permission to host training camps in non-traditional venues. During the 2021 season, several players received publicity for violating their teams’ COVID-19 protocols.

Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, was among the most prominent figures to break rules.  The 2021 NFL Most Valuable Player was fined $14,650 and the Packers were fined $300,000. Now that the league has put a halt to its strengthened protocols, this kind of incident is not likely to occur again in the 2022 season.

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