Aaron Rodgers was recently on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast and made comments that have already sparked controversy. Over the last year, the Packers QB has been creating buzz in the media for speaking on a number of different issues. While most players tend to shy away from politics, Rodgers has had strong opinions on NFL policies and COVID-19. He notoriously received a lot of backlash for saying he was “immunized” when asked about his vaccination status in 2021. Now the reigning MVP has his name in the news for revealing some very interesting information.
Speaking His Truth
Although Rodgers did not specify the game, he admitted to Joe Rogan that he played an NFL game on Percocets early in his career. While Percocets can help with severe pain, playing in a professional sport on narcotics does not sound ideal. He went on to clarify the reasoning behind taking the Percocet via Joe Rogan Experience. “[I played] on Percocet. It was more for pain management, so I wasn’t taking any high dosage, but stupid, ultimately. Here’s the thing: I had knee issues for a long time, and you take anti-inflammatories. You’re taking anti-inflammatories, they all come with a warning: If you take this more than a few weeks, you’ve gotta get your blood tested because it can do damage to your liver. There are so many things you can take now, anti-inflammatory things, that are natural, that don’t cause damage to your body,”
Cause for Concern
Rodgers further stated that the NFL did not have a solid remedy plan for pain management during that time. “The pain management, especially with our sport, is fascinating to see how things are ‘treated.’ I use quotations on treated because, up until probably a decade ago, it was easily accessible to get oxy, Percocet, Vicodin, whatever you wanted. … you played [on painkillers], definitely,” Rodgers explained to Joe Rogan. It seems the NFL now has medicine that will not put as many players at risk. However, Rodgers has put the NFL on notice for the treatment available for players in the past .
