Rodgers previously had sought and was denied an exemption from the NFL-NFL Players Association COVID-19 protocols based on his antibody levels this summer, which left his status as unvaccinated, NFL Media reported Wednesday.
Rodgers received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels and asked the NFLPA to review his status. The players’ union, the NFL-NFLPA jointly designated infectious disease consultant and the league agreed that Rodgers’ treatment did not provide any documented protection from the coronavirus.
Edit: Actually, that sentence is confusing. I read it as suggesting that he sought the exemption this summer, but it’s possible that it means that he sought the exemption more recently based on an antibody test of this summer. Still, I can’t imagine that the discussions referenced took place in the last week.
The incident where he responded to a direct question by saying he was “immunized” (i.e. got this woo-woo “immune enhancement”) has the air of a recalcitrant child trying to use some technicality to claim that they didn’t really disobey parental instructions.
Based on his own comments, this was earlier, leading to him mostly following non-vaxed protocols:
“I have followed every single protocol to a T,” Rodgers said. “My daily routine is the routine of an unvaccinated person. I have to test early. Starting the season, unvaccinated people had to test once a day. We’re being made to think we’re the dangerous ones, we’re the super spreaders. I test every single day and (at) 5 a.m. for noon games. Before you go in, you have to wait in your car. Non-vaccinated people test and go right in. Mask every day in the facility. Physically distance from everyone else. I can’t leave the hotel, can’t have dinner with teammates. The only people I see at the hotel are vaccinated people. I can’t see anybody after the game. I work out off to the side of the room in a mask. I’m not allowed to use the sauna or steam room. I have to wear a yellow wristband at all times, shouting to the world, ‘I’m unclean and unvaxxed.’”
Really? I think he should be suspended for as many games as he has played because of his deception and lies. That would be the rest of the season, right?
Oh, and another thing; if he isn’t appropriately punished for his misdeeds, every other person in the NFL who was threatened and coerced to toe the line should sue Goodell and the NFL.
He didn’t qualify for playing any games due to deception and lies. You are allowed to not be vaccinated in the NFL. But if you choose not to get vaccinated, you have to abide by a whole bunch of onerous restrictions. By the sound of it, he followed them all except masking during press conferences.
This strikes me as a minor procedural violation, and I stand by my recommendation of a $25,000 fine, or alternately that same fine per press conference. What is that now, six or seven? Sure, $150,000. Fine.
I had State Farm as a client for a couple of years; they hate getting bad press, and are very conservative (from a financial standpoint). They didn’t dump Rodgers after all of the stink last spring and summer, but this is at a different level – they might surprise me, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they do cut ties with him this week.
The league office is going to do something to the Packers. They have to at this point - other teams are lodging complaints about special treatment for one team when they’re all following protocol.
The team’s reaction isn’t the greatest, either. Matt LaFleur’s defense is that Rodgers followed protocols “in football areas”, basically trying to avoid responsibility for dealing with his headache of a prima donna QB.
As for suspension or not, I can’t see it making a difference either way. Stereotypes aside, football players aren’t that dumb. They know star QBs get special treatment. A slap on the wrist 1 game suspension isn’t going to make a difference to them and hardly at all to him. And Rodgers can afford the loss of 1 game check. And they’re not likely to do more than that.
To have teeth, they’d need to suspend him for something like 4 games. Brady got that many for Inflategate, which didn’t involve actual health or lives. Which goes to show you where the NFL’s priorities lie.
There was a State Farm commercial during the footballing yesterday that featured Terry Bradshaw. The weird thing was that only a few minutes earlier during the Fox pregame show, Bradshaw admonished Rodgers and reminded America that ivermectin is horse dewormer. True story.
This is a fair point. I also view deflategate as a minor procedural violation, though, and considered the punishment excessive to the crime, amplified by public outcry. But that also describes this situation, so, I guess for consistency, a four game suspension could be appropriate.
I saw no Rodgers SF ads in two football games. The Mahomes ones were being shown. The only one that had Rodgers was a Terry Bradshaw one that just had a painting of Rodgers.
Well, it’s possible. But if that were the case most likely he’s be having issues with some other stuff that contains the offending allergen. If it’s a PEG allergy he’d have known issues with laxatives, some other medications, skin creams, lubes, some toothpastes, and even some food and drink. You’d think this would have been noticed before, although skin contact might not set someone off who has problems with PEG being consumed or injected.
True. And that one does not contain PEG.
If he had an allergy to the mRNA vaccines he still could have gotten the J&J vaccine. Or he could have been honest about being anti-covid-vax. Instead, he chose to lie and deceive.
