If he’s talking about “woke mobs” and cancel culture, he’s obviously watching Trump-worshiping media.
I know it will be paywalled for some, but the NY Times article on this is headlined: “Scientists Fight a New Source of Vaccine Misinformation: Aaron Rodgers.”
Some choice quotes:
Rodgers justified his decision to not get vaccinated by speaking out against the highly effective vaccines and spewing a stream of misinformation and junk science. Medical professionals were disheartened not just because it will make it harder for them to persuade adults to get vaccinated, but because they are also starting to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds.
In the interview, Rodgers suggested that the fact that people were still getting, and dying from, Covid-19 meant that the vaccines were not highly effective.
Rodgers also expressed concern that the vaccines might cause fertility issues, a common talking point in the anti-vaccine movement. There is no evidence that the vaccines affect fertility in men or women.
5 million+ people dead and he’s coming out with this nonsense. I hope he never plays another down in the NFL. (I am well aware this is a complete pipe dream).
At this point, State Farm really should drop him. If he was spewing that bullshit on Twitter or YouTube, he would be suspended at least.
I wonder if people who follow his advice would want Anthony Fauci as their quarterback. I’m sure Dr. Fauci has “done his own research” on what kind of plays work against which types of defenses.
But it’s not like that 6 feet makes you safe. That’s how far you stand apart while wearing a mask—well, for the unvaccinated.
Remember also that delta spreads better than the original COVID, which is when the 6 feet guidelines came out, and that the 6 feet guidelines were based on the (incorrect) idea that the virus was not airborne.
And, fuck State Farm for misrepresenting what happened. He didn’t “make a choice.” He lied and put people at risk. I genuinely thought better of them until now. (Aaron Rodgers less so, since I didn’t know he existed until he guest-hosted Jeopardy. Hard to have expectations in such a short period.)
(Re: Qaaron Rodgers). I laughed. Politics aside, misinformation is misinformation.
And now he’s spreading misinformation.
As long as that is all he spreads…
Rodgers didn’t invoke “cancel culture” and the “woke mob” by accident. By framing it that way, he forced State Farm into a position where dropping him would be very publicly picking a side in the culture wars. It’s likely that a significant number of their policy holders disdain “cancel culture,” and changing your insurance provider is as easy as making a phone call.
And so they take refuge in mealy-mouthed statements and hope the whole thing will go away.
And their client base is older, the type that like having a local office rather than a website or 800 number. The exact demographics of the Trump base.
Maybe he just retires. He was contemplating this pre-season anyway (probably because of the NFL’s vaxx requirements). Now he can just flounce off to the Land of Conspiracy Theories and Nutcakes and be their god.
The NFL should require Rodgers to document his “allergy” to something or other in the mRNA vaccines.
I put “allergy” in quotes because after he made semi-reasonable statements in an interview about 1) having an allergy supposedly precluding use of either mRNA vaccine and 2) being worried about the J&J vaccine causing blood clots, Rodgers started going on about his marching to a different drum and placing a high priority on “body autonomy”. What the hell does that crap have to do with medical contraindications to vaccination?
There are other sports figures who’ve evidently bought into antivax nonsense - ex-Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich is one. His claims of being opposed to Covid vaccination on religious grounds are considerably weakened by what he brought up in a meeting with a university vaccine expert who patiently refuted the memes spewed by Rolovich, including SV40 contamination and the role of Bill Gates; no religious objections reportedly were discussed.
Some people lie their asses off to avoid admitting their motivations.
If you’re going to refuse a Covid vaccine, Kyrie Irving’s course is probably best. Just keep your mouth shut.*
*in Irving’s case, marching to the beat of a different drummer is the most likely explanation. You can’t expect him to follow the common herd and skip a chance to get attention.
Well, now he says he feels like he’s being crucified (his word, not mine) by the public for what he did:
First MLK and now crucifixion. Considering he still has his job, his fortune, and (almost certainly) his health, he ought to really consider if comparing himself to people who literally died for their causes is really the best look for him.
I can’t imagine why people are mad at him. He’s just an influential person spreading vaccine misinformation that will very likely cause sickness and death. I mean, come on, give the guy a break.
Which leg?
Ha! It would be best if he lost his voice and his twitter account.
Just to be clear, his friend says he “feels like he’s being crucified”. Which he may have said, or it might just be some friend sticking up for him/describing his reaction in a bizarre way.
Whatever the case, I’m sure that an actual crucifixion would get rid of any COVID symptoms.
I typed out some really irreligious jokes in response, but I’m just going to see myself out before I think about hitting REPLY on those.
Certainly, there’s a large group that are mad at him for that. I don’t think Rodgers ever expected to win over those folks. But the folks that I think he misread are the ones mad at him for lying. Take a stand, say you’re not vaccinated, and deal with the consequences like Kirk Cousins and Cole Beasley. This makes Rodger’s narrative look weak in comparison.
He’s probably the best quarterback ever at faking the snap. This is just another fake-out. 3-18 Vaxxed! 3-18 Vaxxed! <Tweet!> Five yard penalty, defense number 69, offsides.