Aaron Rodgers' Vaccine Controversy Called Out In Uncomfortable Interview
While there's no doubt that the media reports on Aaron Rodgers' football skills with the Green Bay Packers, his on-again, off-again relationship with Shailene Woodley also earned him plenty of press. But Rodger's name has been in the media during the COVID-19 pandemic due to his stance on the vaccine. It all began when a reporter asked Rodgers in 2021 if he had been vaccinated against COVID-19. "Yeah, I've been immunized," he told the press, per CBS 58. "There's guys on the team that haven't been vaccinated. I think it's a personal decision, I'm not gonna judge those guys." Later, it came to light that Rodgers didn't get vaccinated, but instead used alternative methods to fight against the virus.
In November 2021, the star appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" where he clarified the comments, stating that he didn't "lie." Rodgers explained that "it was a witch hunt that was going on across the league," and reporters only seemed interested in players' vaccination statuses. He later added, "It's a personal decision and they shouldn't have to disclose their own medical information." The star explained that he did a lot of research about the vaccine and felt as though he made the right decision for his own body.
But, Rodgers's words still aren't just water under the bridge. In fact, he was confronted about his stance in a new interview, and the quarterback wasn't happy about it.
Aaron Rodgers didn't like an awkward interview question
Aaron Rodgers is not shy about sharing his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, but he usually doesn't get called out about in interviews — at least not until an August sit-down on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast (via Media Ite). During the wide-ranging sit-down, Eric "PFT Commenter" Sollenberger asked Rodgers, "How many people" he thinks he's "killed" since he didn't get vaccinated. Co-host Dan "Big Cat" Katz prodded further. "How many grandmothers? Let's just do grandmothers," he asked. Rodgers wasn't laughing. "I know you guys are f***ing around, but I don't find that part funny," the quarterback quipped back as he shook his head and gave a slight laugh. "I really don't."
This all came after the hosts asked Rodgers how he would "describe himself." The NFL star explained that he likes to be authentic, and elaborated further. "You like me or don't like me, that's not my concern at this point," he said. "You know, my concern is just speaking the truth, and you know, people say, 'Oh, immunization, vaccination!'" he shared, thus starting the back-and-forth.
Rodgers also talked about his refusal to get the vaccine after the Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs in January. "There was a ton of people tuning in, rooting against us for one reason and one reason only — it's because of my vaccination status," he said on "The Pat McAfee Show" (via CNN). Lots of drama.