The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are facing a hefty fine from the NFL for being in violation of COVID-19 rules.
Following an investigation after Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19, the NFL informed the Packers and Rodgers of their decision on Tuesday, according to CNBC. The Packers received a $300,000 fine and Rodgers received a $14,650 penalty after a video showed he attended a Halloween party with teammates while maskless and unvaccinated.
Rodgers, a 37-year-old who is the reigning NFL MVP, will miss Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs but could return for the following game.
AARON RODGERS LET HIS TEAM DOWN
The fines come after it was revealed on Nov. 3 that Rodgers had tested positive for COVID-19. The quarterback informed reporters during an interview in August that he was “immunized,” leading people to believe he had received a COVID-19 vaccination, but he confirmed last week that he did not actually receive the vaccine.
“I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. “To anybody that felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments.”
After receiving backlash for not being upfront about his vaccination status, Rodgers said he’s in the “crosshairs of the woke mob” after it emerged he had contracted COVID-19 and appeared to have misled the public that he had been vaccinated.
“Before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on some of the blatant lies that are out there about myself,” he said.
“I’m not some sort of anti-vax flat-earther. I’m somebody who’s a critical thinker. You guys know me. I march to the beat of my own drum,” Rodgers added during an interview on Friday with The Pat McAfee Show. “I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body and not have to acquiesce to some woke culture where a crazed group of individuals … say you have to do something.”
Rodgers said during the show that he had decided not to get vaccinated because he is allergic to one of the ingredients found in both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. He also said he consulted with podcaster Joe Rogan, who has been outspoken against vaccines and revealed in September he treated himself with ivermectin, which the FDA has not approved for treating COVID-19, after contracting the virus.
Rodgers also blasted the NFL’s treatment of unvaccinated players as “draconian” and “not based on science.”
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The Packers recently removed wide receiver Allen Lazard from the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Lazard was also fined $14,650 by the league for being in attendance at the Halloween party with teammates while unvaccinated. The report also said the NFL warned the Packers that future violations could result in a loss of draft picks.
