Three years after Aaron Rodgers told reporters he was “immunized” against COVID-19, the quarterback now admits in a soon-to-be-released unauthorized biography that he wishes he had been more truthful about his vaccination status.
Rodgers, who previously acknowledged the controversy significantly impacted his public image, told author Ian O’Connor that his decision to claim he was “immunized” was primarily driven by the appeal process with the NFL. “If there’s one thing I wish could have gone differently, it’s that statement, because it’s the only thing critics could hit me with,” Rodgers reflected in the book.
In November 2021, Rodgers, a four-time league MVP with the Green Bay Packers, tested positive for COVID-19 and was sidelined for 10 days as an unvaccinated player. His appeal to have his homeopathic treatment regimen recognized as vaccination was rejected by the NFL, leading to widespread criticism over his misleading remarks. The controversy had begun earlier in August when Rodgers, at a preseason press conference, told reporters he had been “immunized,” drawing heavy criticism from fans and the media.
Rodgers later explained on “The Pat McAfee Show” that his research revealed an allergy to polyethylene glycol (PEG), an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and he was concerned about adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Reflecting on his choices, Rodgers now says, “If I could do it again, I would have said in August, ‘Forget the appeal. I’m just going to tell them I’m allergic to PEG, I’m not getting Johnson & Johnson, and I’m not going to be vaccinated.’”
Rodgers, now the quarterback for the New York Jets, told O’Connor that his statement was a key part of his appeal to the league. He had an immunization card from his holistic doctor that looked similar to a vaccine card, but Rodgers insists he wasn’t trying to pass it off as one. “I said, ‘Here’s my protocol. Here’s what you can follow to look this up.’ And it was an ongoing appeal. If I had just said I was unvaccinated at that moment, there’s no way the appeal would have been handled the same way.”
When asked if he would have gotten vaccinated if a local mandate had sidelined him, as it did Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, Rodgers firmly stated, “I wouldn’t have done it.”
Rodgers, who was traded to the Jets before the 2023 season, revealed that he has joked with Jets vice chairman Christopher Johnson, brother of team owner Woody Johnson from the Johnson & Johnson family, about his refusal to take the company’s vaccine.
Other revelations from O’Connor’s book include:
- New insights into Rodgers’ nearly decade-long estrangement from his family, including interviews with his parents, grandmother, and other relatives. The book also explores the role actress and former girlfriend Olivia Munn may have played in the family dynamics, and it details a recent first step towards reconciliation between Rodgers and his father, sparked by a brief but meaningful expression of love last summer.
- The story of Edward Rodgers, Aaron’s paternal grandfather, a decorated World War II combat pilot who completed 43 successful missions against Hitler’s forces before being shot down, captured, and beaten as a POW. On St. Patrick’s Day 1944, Rodgers heroically saved his crew of 10 men by flying their damaged, bullet-ridden B-24 back to base in Italy.
- Rodgers’ frustration with Packers coach Mike McCarthy during the 2014 NFC Championship Game against Seattle, where Rodgers wanted to run six plays he believed were “indefensible” after seeing them in Dallas’ win over Seattle. A veteran Packers player revealed that Rodgers “wanted those plays called over and over against Seattle, and McCarthy only called a few of them one time each.”
- Former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan, who drafted Alex Smith over Rodgers in 2005, still feels bothered that McCarthy, who was his offensive coordinator at the time, benefited most from the decision. “McCarthy had a lot to do with picking Smith, and in the end, he got the one [Rodgers] that he didn’t pick, and it elevated his career,” Nolan says in the book.
- The backstory behind Rodgers’ much-discussed text to NFL insider Adam Schefter, who was seeking confirmation of his trade to the Jets in 2023. Rodgers famously replied, “Lose my number. Good try tho.” Later, at the owners’ meetings, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, whose repeated messages to Rodgers had gone unanswered, told others, “At least Adam got a response from him.”
O’Connor’s book, titled “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” is set to be released next week.
Is Aaron Rodgers allergic to vaccines?
The three-time MVP said that he was allergic to a component in mRNA vaccinations and hence declined the Johnson & Johnson injection. He sought alternate means to protect himself, including the use of ivermectin, a medicine used to treat threadworms, roundworms, and other parasites but not authorized by the FDA for COVID-19.
