Even quarantined from the team, Aaron Rodgers found a way to upstage Jordan Love just days before he’ll make his first professional start for a team currently holding the NFC’s top playoff seed and against a Kansas City Chiefs team that represented the AFC in the Super Bowl the last two years and at Arrowhead Stadium to boot.
Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list by the team. More on how he got there and how that pot got stirred more vigorously today in a moment.
Love, last year’s number one draft choice, was thrust front and center for the 7-1 Packers, taking over the starting role at least for a week, maybe two. Rodgers isn’t eligible to come off the Reserve list until Saturday, November 13. It’s not the first time Love has to lead the team at the game’s most important position in the absence of the reigning league MVP. The entire off-season had Love atop the depth chart as Rodgers was working through “cultural” and “communication” issues he had with the front office that were serious enough for him to consider retirement.
Taking virtually every rep with the starting offense throughout the off-season program and getting the lion’s share of snaps in the three pre-season games accelerated Love’s understanding of and comfort with Matt LaFleur’s offense. He even got his regular season feet wet in mop up duty after Rodgers and the Packers laid an opening day egg against the New Orleans Saints in Jacksonville.
Knowing he’s only a snap aware, Love continued his preparation as if he were the starter and now, his opportunity has arrived.
After Friday’s practice, reporters had a chance to visit with Love for the first time since August 5. He fielded questions about his reaction to the news of Rodgers’ positive test, what this work week has been like and how big the butterflies might be come Sunday in Kansas City.
LaFleur said of Love, “he’s really locked in.” He said the team is ready to rally behind him and “we’re ready to go.”
An exasperated Matt LaFleur fields more Aaron Rodgers, COVID questions Friday.
Unfortunately for LaFleur, he has assumed the role of spokesman for not only the team, but the organization, a role Mike McCarthy grew to detest. For it’s LaFleur who has to field the questions about the quarterback who will not make the trip, and there were plenty more today after Rodgers picked an interesting time to come clean about his positive test and vaccination status.
While the team was conducting it’s last practice before Sunday’s key game against the Chiefs, Rodgers appeared on the Pat McAffee radio show where he’s a regular guest each Tuesday.
Rodgers wanted to set the record straight but in the process, threw out even more misconceptions and since refuted assertions.
When placed in 10 day quarantine following his positive test, it became clear that under such a time frame, he was considered unvaccinated. Back in August, Rodgers was asked directly about it and replied, “Yeah, I’m immunized.” Today, Rodgers, from his couch, said that answer wasn’t some sort or ruse or lie. He felt there was a media “witch hunt” going on over who was and wasn’t vaccinated. Rodgers was hoping that immunization, acquired through homeopathic and holistic antibody treatments conducted in Canada by his personal medical team along with taking ivermectin. He hoped that treatment would gain an exemption from the league’s vaccination standard but it did not.
Rodgers told McAfee that a league doctor said it was impossible for a vaccinated person to get or to spread COVID and he knew that appeal would not be granted and hoped the vaccination status questions would just go away. An NFL source said none of our doctors or medical consultants approved by the NFLPA ever had a discussion with Rodgers. The appeal was submitted on behalf of an anonymous player at the time.
He said he has an allergy to an ingredient in the mRNA doses used by Moderna and Pfizer which ruled out those vaccinations. Rodgers said he did research of side effects from the single shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine and decided against that.
“My medical team advised me the danger of an adverse event was greater than the risk of getting COVID and recovering, so I made a decision that was in the best interest of my body”, he said.
CDC statistics clearly suggest just the opposite.
Rodgers became convinced he made the right choice when as he put it, the league sent “a stooge” to visit the team during training camp to persuade players to get vaccinated. At the time, the Packers had the 19th worst rate in the league. Rodgers said he challenged the speaker on several fronts with both players and coaches thanking him afterward.
Rodgers says he has followed all the protocols for non-vaccinated players to a T. Those include daily, not weekly testing, wearing a mask in the facility at all times. However, in every media session with reporters in the team’s media auditorium, Rodgers went mask-less. That would be a protocol violation but it hasn’t been enforced in several other cities with high profile players who have admitted they are unvaccinated. Rodgers even thought that rule forcing a player who’s already tested negative that day to wear a mask well distanced from reporters who are both vaccinated and masked, “makes no sense to me.”
In the end, Rodgers said, “I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something.”
The conviction may be true, but his handling of that “choice” and his explanation of it’s justification has created a social media uproar which is not expected, but a public relations hot potato the organization is not very happy to be dealing with.
LaFleur was fielding Rodgers and protocol questions all week trying to prepare his young quarterback for a very important game. By being unvaccinated, Rodgers put a promising season on short term jeopardy for one game, maybe two. When asked if would listen to the entire 45 minute Rodgers/McAfee session, LaFleur replied, “most likely no.” He doesn’t want to even take any more COVID related questions about anyone, “My thought lies with the team and finding a way to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.” Don’t blame him.
Some other notes:
Davante Adams came off the Reserve/COVID19 list today officially and he hopes to play on Sunday.
LaFleur said decisions on Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kevin King and David Bakhtiari will likely be made Sunday morning in Kansas City.
The week’s final injury report has ruled out only one player, Kingsley Keke with a concussion. Dean Lowry (hamstring) and Dennis Kelly (back) are listed as questionable.
