Getty Former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth warms up during a 2009 preseason game.
Former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth did not pull any punches when discussing Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers during December 29’s episode of Get Up! on ESPN.
Foxworth accused Rodgers of having a “victim complex” over his controversial stance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
.@GetUpESPN hosts Domonique Foxworth and Dan Graziano mock @AaronRodgers12:
“He’s spouting dangerous nonsense that might actually get people killed”
“Do not go to comedians and podcasters for your Covid research and information and then spew it out”
“He wants everyone to feel sorry for him,” said Foxworth, who started all 16 games for the Ravens in 2009 before a torn ACL limited him to just two more games before his 2012 retirement.
Rodgers tested positive for the coronavirus at the beginning of November, unleashing a cascading sequence of events that culminated in a missed game, hefty personal and team fines and widespread backlash against Rodgers for misleading the public about his vaccination status.
Since then, Rodgers has made several appearances on The Pat McAfee Show defending himself, inspiring plenty of commentary from Foxworth.
“You are not the victim, Aaron Rodgers,” Foxworth continued, “You are quite possibly the best quarterback we’ve ever seen.”
Indeed, Rodgers sits in the top 10 of several NFL all-time passing statistics, leading Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale to favorably compare him to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow then threw for 525 yards against a shorthanded Baltimore defense, including a controversial 52-yard bomb late in the fourth quarter with the game all but over.
Foxworth’s Full Comments
Foxworth went even further in his message to Rodgers, telling the veteran quarterback, “Stop trying to feel sorry for yourself, because we are not going to.”
“Do not go to comedians and podcasters for your Covid research and information and then spew it out,” continued Foxworth, “Don’t complain when people come down on you, because you are challenging widely-accepted scientific beliefs.” Rodgers has frequently referenced advice from controversial podcaster Joe Rogan in his defense of alternative coronavirus treatments.
Foxworth then blasted Rodgers for defying NFL COVID-19 protocols after refusing to be vaccinated:
No one’s mad at you about not getting the vaccine. You can choose to not get vaccinated. But then follow the protocols. Stand up and take that heat. Cole Beasley did it. Carson Wentz did it. [Kirk] Cousins did it. That is something you can choose to do. People are mad at you because you lied about it and forced them to put themselves at risk without giving them that information. That is the problem.
Foxworth Tweets Regret
Foxworth’s diatribe against Rodgers drew plenty of laughs from his ESPN colleagues, including Dan Graziano, who cautioned against listening to Rodgers’ vaccination views.
“I think a lot of the stuff he says in these public appearances is for show, is for appearances’ sake,” said Graziano, “and we shouldn’t be listening to it quite as closely.”
Graziano went even further by claiming Rodgers is “spouting dangerous nonsense that might actually get people killed.”
“We really need to stop paying quite this much attention to every word that comes out of his mouth,” he concluded.
But the ex-Ravens cornerback seemed to have second thoughts about his diatribe against Rodgers, tweeting, “I have my regrets” shortly after his nationally-televised appearance.
Rodgers has weathered plenty of criticism over the course of his COVID-19 saga, so it’s unlikely that Foxworth’s comments will get under his skin, especially after beating the Ravens in Week 15.