After his COVID-19 diagnosis led to the revelation that he had refused to be vaccinated and lied about it publicly, saying, “Yeah, I’ve been immunized,” Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is facing something he doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience with: consequences for his actions. But don’t worry. He’s rich, famous, white, and embracing a Republican position. The consequences will be limited, as the NFL and one of his top sponsors have made clear.
Rodgers spent last week whining about being “in the crosshairs of the woke mob” and “cancel culture,” because that’s how conservative white guys tell the world that it would be worse for them to face consequences for their actions than it was for them to do whatever they fear the consequences of.
He also said, “The great MLK said that ‘You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.’” And that he did his own research on the vaccines, but also was following Joe Rogan’s advice on how to treat his COVID-19, which are two statements that kind of contradict each other. Note: Listening to Joe Rogan or even talking to him directly does not constitute research.
Rodgers offered up a series of false claims about COVID-19 vaccination while accusing an NFL doctor of having told him categorically that no vaccinated person could get or spread COVID-19. That would be false information, but, CNN reports, a league source said, “No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player.”
On to the consequences! Rodgers quickly lost his sponsorship from Prevea Health, which he’d had since 2012. And State Farm silently pulled most of its ads featuring Rodgers from circulation on Sunday. For the previous two Sundays, Rodgers had been in about a quarter of the ads in State Farm’s weekly football advertising blitz. This Sunday, his share was down to 1.5%.
However, State Farm is not fully ditching Rodgers.
”Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade,” the company said in a statement Monday.
“We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view. We recognize our customers, employees, agents, and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities. To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone’s right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances.”
Which of the statements don’t you support, guys? Come on, get specific. Was it where he advocated treating COVID-19 with unapproved medications? Was it his decision to “immunize” himself with homeopathic treatments? Was it the Martin Luther King, Jr. thing? State Farm doesn’t support some of the statements Rodgers made, so tell us which.
An NFL source, similarly, told ESPN that while the league was looking into whether Rodgers had followed protocols—which he acknowledges he did not, by refusing to wear a mask to press conferences—he won't face suspension. Rodgers has also been pictured spending time with his teammates off the job, something NFL rules prohibit for unvaccinated players. And get this: His rationale for why it’s okay to refuse to wear a mask to press conferences in violation of the rules is that everyone else is vaccinated and masked.
Aaron Rodgers does not believe the rules apply to him. Prevea Health is suggesting the rules do, in fact, apply to Rodgers. State Farm insurance is trying to have it both ways, dramatically dialing back their visible association with him in the immediate wake of his comments, but refusing to cut him loose or even to strongly criticize his statements. And while State Farm is not primarily a health insurance company, it does offer life insurance so you’d think it would want as many people as possible to get life-saving vaccinations. Apparently not as much as it wants to keep Aaron Rodgers’ waning star power on board, though—or not as much as it wants to avoid enraging the ivermectin crew.
Rodgers spent last week whining about being “in the crosshairs of the woke mob” and “cancel culture,” because that’s how conservative white guys tell the world that it would be worse for them to face consequences for their actions than it was for them to do whatever they fear the consequences of.
He also said, “The great MLK said that ‘You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.’” And that he did his own research on the vaccines, but also was following Joe Rogan’s advice on how to treat his COVID-19, which are two statements that kind of contradict each other. Note: Listening to Joe Rogan or even talking to him directly does not constitute research.
Rodgers offered up a series of false claims about COVID-19 vaccination while accusing an NFL doctor of having told him categorically that no vaccinated person could get or spread COVID-19. That would be false information, but, CNN reports, a league source said, “No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player.”
On to the consequences! Rodgers quickly lost his sponsorship from Prevea Health, which he’d had since 2012. And State Farm silently pulled most of its ads featuring Rodgers from circulation on Sunday. For the previous two Sundays, Rodgers had been in about a quarter of the ads in State Farm’s weekly football advertising blitz. This Sunday, his share was down to 1.5%.
However, State Farm is not fully ditching Rodgers.
”Aaron Rodgers has been a great ambassador for our company for much of the past decade,” the company said in a statement Monday.
“We don’t support some of the statements that he has made, but we respect his right to have his own personal point of view. We recognize our customers, employees, agents, and brand ambassadors come from all walks of life, with differing viewpoints on many issues. Our mission at State Farm is to support safer, stronger communities. To that end, we encourage vaccinations, but respect everyone’s right to make a choice based on their personal circumstances.”
Which of the statements don’t you support, guys? Come on, get specific. Was it where he advocated treating COVID-19 with unapproved medications? Was it his decision to “immunize” himself with homeopathic treatments? Was it the Martin Luther King, Jr. thing? State Farm doesn’t support some of the statements Rodgers made, so tell us which.
An NFL source, similarly, told ESPN that while the league was looking into whether Rodgers had followed protocols—which he acknowledges he did not, by refusing to wear a mask to press conferences—he won't face suspension. Rodgers has also been pictured spending time with his teammates off the job, something NFL rules prohibit for unvaccinated players. And get this: His rationale for why it’s okay to refuse to wear a mask to press conferences in violation of the rules is that everyone else is vaccinated and masked.
Aaron Rodgers does not believe the rules apply to him. Prevea Health is suggesting the rules do, in fact, apply to Rodgers. State Farm insurance is trying to have it both ways, dramatically dialing back their visible association with him in the immediate wake of his comments, but refusing to cut him loose or even to strongly criticize his statements. And while State Farm is not primarily a health insurance company, it does offer life insurance so you’d think it would want as many people as possible to get life-saving vaccinations. Apparently not as much as it wants to keep Aaron Rodgers’ waning star power on board, though—or not as much as it wants to avoid enraging the ivermectin crew.