Howard Stern Slams Aaron Rodgers for COVID Vaccine Controversy
“I would throw this guy out of the football league so fast. What he did to his fellow teammates…”
Radio legend Howard Stern blasted NFL star Aaron Rodgers for comments that he made during an interview on SiriusXM’s The Pat McAfee Show, in which Rodgers said that while he had previously said he was “immunized,” he is actually unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Yahoo! has more details on the fallout:
The Green Bay Packers quarterback, who tested positive for the virus last week and was sidelined from Sunday’s game, said that he’s allergic to an ingredient in the vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer.
That left the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as an option, but Rodgers was worried about side effects. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has approved all the shots for use.)
Rodgers then opted to take advice from a friend, podcast host Joe Rogan, who advised him to use ivermectin — a drug the Federal Drug Administration has warned against using to treat COVID-19 — to help him recover.
“I don’t even know where to begin with that story. I mean, this fucking guy,” Stern said. “I would throw this guy out of the football league so fast. What he did to his fellow teammates…”
Stern then praised Fox NFL analyst and retired Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw, for slamming Rodgers on Sunday.
“You lied to everyone,” Bradshaw said on Sunday’s NFL broadcast. “Unfortunately, we’ve got players that pretty much think only about themselves, and I’m extremely disappointed in the actions of Aaron Rodgers.”
Meanwhile, the NFL has shot down Rodgers’ claim that one of the league’s top physicians said people vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot contract or spread the virus.
The veteran Green Bay Packers quarterback came under fire after he made a number of controversial statements while explaining his unvaccinated status during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers questioned the vaccine’s efficacy (peer-reviewed journals have shown that the vaccines are largely effective) and implied that ivermectin isn’t being used in treatment because it’s not financially lucrative (experts currently have insufficient evidence to recommend its use in COVID-19 patients.)
He also said “one of the [NFL’s] main docs said it’s impossible for a vaccinated person to get COVID or spread COVID. We know now that information is totally false.”
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy challenged Rodgers’ recollection of events in a statement obtained by NPR.
“No, it’s not true,” McCarthy said. “No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that.”
Rodgers didn’t play in the Packers’ 13-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, as he was sidelined with a positive COVID-19 test. He said he couldn’t receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines due to allergies, and that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was “not even an option” after its rollout was briefly paused due to blood clotting concerns.
Instead, Rodgers followed a protocol recommended by his personal medical team that was rejected by the NFL.
Rodgers reportedly didn’t anticipate the backlash to his vaccine comments. A close source speaking to People said the star QB “feels like he just shared his point of view, and now he’s being crucified for it.”
“He knew some people would disagree with him, but he didn’t know that it would become the shitstorm it became. People who he thought were friends are turning on him.”
Wisconsin health care company Prevea Health announced the termination of its partnership with Rodgers, saying that it encourages “all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.”
But insurance agency State Farm called Rodgers a “great ambassador for our company” in a statement to NPR.
“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.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the 37-year-old quarterback again joined the Pat McAfee show and took “full responsibility” for his comments in August that could be perceived as deceptive.
“I acknowledge that I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading,” Rodgers said. “To anybody who felt misled by those comments I take full responsibility.”
Watch Rodgers’ controversial interviews in the videos above.
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