The Rodgers Deal

Sports legends commonly have comeback stories. So perhaps Aaron Rodgers can recover from his disastrous decision to put teammates at risk and lie to the public about his “immunized” status—and his worse reaction to being found out.

I mean, who knows—in a year maybe he will have dyed his hair blond and gone to a Halloween party as SNL character Dr. Weknowdis. “Vaccines are safe and effective. Weknowdis.” Big laughs.

 
But right now, it looks like he has put at risk not just the health of those around him, but his own reputation and legacy. And he has only himself to blame—though you wouldn’t know it from the bitter, sarcastic language he used to defend himself on Friday—language that dripped of privilege and wounded pride. Rodgers has always had a reputation of having an ego, which is not at all uncommon among elite athletes, but the defensiveness he showed on the weekly radio show that he is featured on was another body blow to his image as a good-natured, likable guy.

To me, the worst aspect of that spectacle was his cynical use of MAGA terminology. “Witch hunt.” “Woke mob.” “Cancel culture.” This brazen play to the worst instincts of the Fox-News-watching Joe Six-Packs out there shows a cold, calculating side to Rodgers, one that would rather turn to divisiveness and lashing out rather than admit a mistake.

For all Rodgers' talk of bodily autonomy and doing research, the choice that both elite athletes and average Americans have faced is pretty straightforward—respect the expertise of the medical and scientific community and take steps to protect themselves and those around them, or indulge conspiracy theories or self-serving “research” that is reliant on the kind of things that Rodgers touts: alternative treatments that have little evidence of efficacy. 

The math here is not hard:
*Millions of human beings have been vaccinated against COVID-19. 
*The incidence of serious negative reactions is extremely rare. 
* Tens of thousands of athletes have been vaccinated. 
*Again, almost none have reported serious reactions or side effects. 

Instead of using common sense, Rodgers has shown a profound lack of respect: for the safety of those around him, for the intelligence of his fans and the public at large, and for the institution of football, which emphasizes teamwork and playing by the rules. 
 
Rodgers thought he was above the latter. He was wrong. The sooner he comes to terms with that, the sooner he can begin to repair the damage.