The New York Jets were able to acquire four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers via trade prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. The deal ended what was a long and drawn-out divorce between the future Hall of Fame quarterback and the team that drafted him to be the heir to Brett Favre back in 2005.
Of course, the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers started to deteriorate in 2020 when Green Bay traded up in the first round of the NFL Draft to select quarterback Jordan Love. While he was a far better friend, teammate, and mentor to Love than Favre was to him, Rodgers’ dealings with the front office became less and less cordial.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Also Started Weekly Appearances on the Pat McAfee Show
It was around this time that Rodgers started to do weekly appearances on the popular Pat McAfee Show during football season. “Aaron Rodgers Tuesday” quickly became one of the most popular segments on the show with millions of people watching both live and on replay.
The segment was (and is) popular because it gives fans a chance to experience the brilliance of Rodgers’ football mind and his quick wit. For better or worse, it also gave fans an insight into certain beliefs that the quarterback holds that go against cultural norms.
Rodgers’ comments on the show regarding things like aliens, politics, Jimmy Kimmel, and drugs have made him a frequent topic of discussion on other shows and in the press. In the past, Rodgers has stood by the things he has said that have stirred up controversy. However, there is one thing he regrets.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Told the Media He Was Immunized Against COVID-19
The 2020 NFL season was a strange one for many, many reasons. The most glaring, of course, was the fact that COVID-19 kept fans out of stadiums for most of the year. The following season, 2021, players from many teams voiced their concerns about NFL mandated vaccinations for teams.
Rodgers was one of those players, and in an interview prior to the season told media members “I’m immunized” when asked about his vaccination status.
That would have been that, but the future Hall of Famer tested positive during the season and missed a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
All of a sudden, his comments about being immunized came under scrutiny, and it was revealed that Rodgers had not taken the vaccine.
The quarterback defended himself on the Pat McAfee Show, stating that he never said he had been vaccinated, but rather immunized. According to him, it was not his fault that people came to the conclusion that he had taken the vaccine.
Looking back on it, it is a situation that he regrets.
New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Regrets His Immunization Comments
As many are aware, there is a new biography of Rodgers coming out by Ian O’Connor entitled “Out of Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers.” In the book, the quarterback talks about many things, such as the source of dissention between himself and his family and how the Jets recruited him.
He also expressed his regret over saying “I’m immunized.”
“If there’s one thing I wish could have gone different, it’s that, because that’s the only thing [critics] could hit me with,” he said.
“But if I could do it again, I would have said [in August], f— the appeal. I’m just going to tell them I’m allergic to PEG, I’m not getting Johnson & Johnson, I’m not going to be vaxxed.'”
“I had an immunization card from my holistic doctor, which looked similar. I wasn’t trying to pawn it off as a vaccine card, but I said, ‘Listen, here’s my protocol. Here’s what you can follow to look this up.’ And it was an ongoing appeal. So, if I had just said [I was unvaccinated] in the moment, there’s no chance that the appeal would have been handled the exact same way.”
To be clear: Rodgers does not regret deciding not to be vaccinated. He regrets his word choice. Also to be clear: he does not regret his word choice because it was wrong of him to be deceptive, he regrets it because of the criticism and appeal he had to go through as a result.
He does not believe he necessarily did anything wrong.
For More Great Football Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!
