Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made national headlines prior to the team’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, November 7.
It turns out that Rodgers, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, November 3, and will miss the Week 9 matchup, is unvaccinated, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. This is despite Rodgers saying back in August that he was “immunized.”
But that was just the beginning of NFL fans’ outrage towards the star quarterback.
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While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, November 5, Rodgers drew even more criticism for his rhetoric regarding the NFL protocols for unvaccinated players, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, among other things after explaining that he was unvaccinated because he was allergic to an ingredient that was in the mRNA vaccines.
Due to Rodgers breaking the league’s protocols for unvaccinated players, the NFL has begun interviewing Packers personnel, and Rodgers and the club could face fines — but not a suspension — if violations are found, according to Rapoport on Sunday, November 7. However, it’s a bit odd that the league has to conduct an investigation even though Rodgers openly admitted to breaking protocols during his interview on the Pat McAfee Show.
Schwartz Throws Shade at Rodgers
Four-time All-Pro offensive tackle for the Chiefs, Mitchell Schwartz, took to Twitter after Rodgers’ bizarre interview to throw shade at the Packers’ quarterback, who attended the same college as Schwartz — California.
“He still claims Butte Community College as his school for the prime-time games right? Just checking for my alma mater…” wrote Schwartz.
Chiefs on Rodgers-less Packers
Speaking to the media not soon after the news broke on Rodgers’ positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted to not being able to face Rodgers for the first time in his career.
“It’s definitely disappointing. I’ve watched this game for a long time and feel like I play a similar style,” Mahomes said. “You always want to compete against the best. Hopefully, he’s healthy and it’s not too bad. I’m sure he’ll come back from it stronger than he was before.”
Mahomes also spoke about second-year quarterback Jordan Love, who was named the Week 9 starter for Green Bay by head coach Matt LeFleur on Wednesday.
“He was slinging it around the field making a lot of plays happen. He had a great preseason and played really well. I’m sure he’ll be ready,” Mahomes said. “They have a great offense and he’ll be able to step in and try to do what he can to have success.”
In terms of preparation, safety Tyrann Mathieu said nothing would change despite Rodgers not being the quarterback on Sunday.
“Obviously Aaron Rodgers is a special player, probably one of the most talented quarterbacks in this league,” Mathieu said during his presser on Wednesday, November 3. “But I think as far as preparation, it’s all about our mindset, our attitude, trying to get as much information as we can. Pretty sure those guys offense won’t change too much. It’s all about formational recognition and understanding what’s going on on our end.”
Former Chiefs All-Pro Bashes Aaron Rodgers After Bizarre Interview