I am irrationally angry with Aaron Rodgers. Like, really angry and disappointed.
I’m also PMS-ing, which I’m sure has absolutely nothing to do with the anger I am feeling towards a quarterback who doesn’t play for a team I cheer for.
In case you don’t own a smart phone, it was revealed today that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID, which in and of itself is not big news - breakthrough cases happen and thankfully are not usually dangerous. The big news came when sources revealed Rodgers had lied about being vaccinated.
Yeah. That’s a thing that happened.
First, let me just say that I hope Rodgers is okay. I really hope he has a mild case or is asymptomatic, because COVID is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I haven’t had it, but I know people who have and it is awful. So I hope he’s okay and will get healthy soon.
One of the most important players in the NFL was not honest about having received the COVID vaccine, instead saying he was “immunized” against the virus, which was administered via homeopathic means according to reporting from The Athletic. Rodgers sought an exemption from the Packers and the NFL because of high antibody count, but was denied. Since then, Rodgers has been following the COVID protocols for vaccinated players, not unvaccinated players. He’s been going around the practice facility without mask, not following social distancing requirements, has not worn a mask during media availability (which is inside) and has been seen at parties, which is not allowed for unvaccinated personnel. He’s been skirting every protocol the NFL put into place to protect vulnerable populations, and this has rightfully triggered an investigation into the Packers’ COVID protocols by the NFL.
I can’t even.
I literally cannot even.
According to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network, the Packers and the NFL have known Rodgers is unvaccinated. So did the Packers just not care? Or did they not want to further piss off their franchise quarterback? Regardless, shame on the Packers for not enforcing protocols.
Before the season started when Rodgers was asked if he was vaccinated, he said -
"Yeah, I've been immunized. ... There's guys on the team that haven't been vaccinated. I think it's a personal decision. I'm not going to judge those guys."
Okay, so he told a half-truth. Looking back at all of his statements, he never outright said, “I’m vaccinated”. So sure, maybe he didn’t outright lie, but he was being shifty and shady AF and because he’s Aaron Rodgers, we all kind of chose to believe he was vaccinated. We chose to believe he would do what was best for his team.
Shame on us.
I’m really mad at Rodgers, but I’m also really mad at myself. I’m mad because I’ve always really liked Rodgers and once again made the mistake of putting an athlete on a pedestal. I once again allowed myself to hold a human being to a higher standard, simply because they are very very good at sports. I projected onto him my belief that to whom much is given, much is expected, and clearly I expected too much. So, shame on me.
I’m mad at Rodgers because all day long my mother has to listen to Code Blues ringing throughout the hospital, the official sound of yet another unvaccinated COVID patient losing their battle with this virus. I’m mad because sick, unvaccinated couples in her hospital are sharing ventilators to keep them alive. I’m mad because there are threats of violence against her hospital almost every day because an unvaccinated person can’t go into the ER to see their loved ones. I’m mad because so much of the suffering is preventable.
I’m mad because Rodgers was putting immunocompromised folks at risk while he knowingly ignored the protocols put in place to keep people safe. I’m mad that he thinks so highly of himself and his own immune system that he partied on Halloween, then walked around the Packers facility without a mask this week. How big must your ego be? How few shits must you give?
I’m disappointed because Rodgers has abdicated any claim he had to being a leader. This is the same man who was so mad at the front office that he sat out during the entire preseason and was demanding a trade, a man who was upset about his place on a very good team that he ghosted his teammates before the season and refused to practice. I’m disappointed because he knowingly put his team in weaker position in the event he got sick, which - spoiler alert - he did! Now, the team will be without their starting QB on Sunday against the Chiefs and Rodgers knew this could happen, but he chose not to be proactive. He now has to be away from his team for no less than 10 days, and it could be more if any symptoms linger.
I’m mad that Rodgers wasn’t fully honest. At least Kirk Cousins, the unvaccinated QB for the Vikings, was honest and said he isn’t vaccinated and would never get the vaccine. I am highly critical of Cousins, but at least the man has SOME integrity, or at least the stones to be honest. I’m mad because Aaron Rodgers reminds me of so many dudes I’ve dated who give you a half-truth in defense of bad behavior, then spin the narrative so you hear what you want to hear.
I’m mad the anti-vaxxers who don’t give a damn about Rodgers are going to come out of the woodwork and make him their champion.
Look, I’m well aware Aaron Rodgers doesn’t owe us anything. He doesn’t. He’s a football player, he’s a human being and we are simply fans of the game. He doesn’t owe us squat. But I’m just so dang tired of the people are are prolonging this pandemic. And I’m so dang tired of rich, white men skirting the rules. And I’m dang tired of the institutions who allow these guys to skirt the rules. And I’m so dang tired of the coverage that will happen between now and Sunday, because we all know this will be the big story.
Mostly, I’m just tired of constantly following the rules, following health protocols and being responsible in regards to the pandemic, just to have people like Rodgers come around and be willfully irresponsible. And I bet there are quite a few teammates who share that frustration. I’m curious to see how the Packers handle the rest of the season, but we need to get through this Sunday first. It’s Jordan Love time, y’all. Buckle up.