Aaron Rodgers will not be eligible to play in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Green Bay Packers star has tested positive for COVID-19. According to one report, he would have had a chance at being cleared if he were vaccinated.
Rodgers has not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. Unvaccinated players are automatically out for 10 days if they test positive. Vaccinated players are eligible to return if they have two negative tests 24 hours apart and are not experiencing symptoms.
Rodgers was asked over the summer whether he was vaccinated. He never made 100 percent clear whether he was, only opting to say he was “immunized” and that he wouldn’t judge those who are not vaccinated.
“I’m not going to judge those guys,” Rodgers said at the time. “There’s guys that have been vaccinated that have contracted COVID, so it’s an interesting issue that I think we’re going to see played out the entire season.”
It’s worth noting that the reporter did not specifically ask if Rodgers has been vaccinated against COVID-19. The question was whether Rodgers has been vaccinated, and he said “I’ve been immunized.” Here’s a video of the exchange:
Here’s the video on August 26th when Aaron Rodgers was directly asked if he had been vaccinated pic.twitter.com/kskQDRpWi8
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) November 3, 2021
According to reports, Rodgers underwent some sort of holistic immunization treatment during the offseason. He petitioned the NFL to grant him vaccinated status because of the treatment, but the request was denied.
Some players have chosen to remain private about their vaccination status, and you can understand why. There are many people with strong opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Those who choose not to get vaccinated have been shamed by the sports media, on social networks and elsewhere. The topic is very polarizing, and many athletes have chosen to steer clear of it.
Rodgers recently spoke out against what he called “woke cancel culture.” You can listen to his thoughts on that topic here.
Nevertheless, a positive test on Wednesday means Rodgers will not be eligible to return until Saturday, Nov. 13 at the earliest. If he isn’t cleared by then, he will also be in danger of missing Green Bay’s Week 10 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Photo: Jan 19, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts following the loss against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
