Aaron Rodgers: "I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some sort of woke culture or crazed individuals who say you have to do something."
Saturday 6 November 2021 11:25, UK
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tested positive this week for COVID-19, has defended his decision not to get vaccinated and criticised the "shaming cancel society" for the criticism he's received.
The Packers placed Rodgers on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday and, as an unvaccinated player, he is automatically ruled out for at least 10 days and will therefore miss Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rodgers had told reporters in August that he was "immunised" in response to a question about whether he had taken the COVID-19 vaccine, but the 37-year-old quarterback insists he did not lie.
Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Rodgers said: "I realise I'm in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now.
"So before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I would like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself.
"First of all, I didn't lie in the initial press conference. During that time, it was a witch hunt that was going on across the league where everybody in the media was so concerned about who was vaccinated and what that meant and who was being selfish and who would talk about it.
"At the time, my plan was to say that I've been immunised. It wasn't some sort of ruse or lie, it was the truth.
"Had there been a follow-up to my statement that I had been immunised, I would have said, 'Look, I'm not some sort of anti-vax, flat-earther. I am somebody who is a critical thinker.'
"You guys know me, I march to the beat of my own drum.
"I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some sort of woke culture or crazed individuals who say you have to do something."
NFL Media reported this week that Rodgers received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels and asked the NFL to review his status. The league ruled that Rodgers' treatment did not provide any documented protection from the coronavirus.
In making his decision not to get vaccinated, Rodgers said he compiled hundreds of pages of research on the vaccines and found he's allergic to an ingredient in both the Pfizer and Moderna products.
The reigning league MVP said he has been compliant with the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, wearing a mask at the team facility, staying isolated from teammates and following regulations that limit his movement on the road. He said he violated rules only by going unmasked at news conferences but didn't see the need since he was in a room with fully vaccinated people.
Rodgers said he had symptoms beginning Tuesday night, tested positive on Wednesday but felt "much better" by Friday.
Green Bay backup quarterback Jordan Love will make his first career NFL start in Rodgers' absence on Sunday. Love was a first-round draft pick for the Packers in 2020 out of Utah State.
"I'm very excited for Jordan," Rodgers said. "I have had conversations with him. It's going to be very strange to watch the game without being there, But look, I hope that we can take a step back, quit lying, quit with the witch hunt and the canceling and realise this is a conversation to be had, not a controversy, and let's move this forward with some love and connection."
