Aaron Rodgers Tests Positive For COVID 19 After Saying He’d Been ‘Immunized’

Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers will be sidelined this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, after testing positive for COVID-19. This comes after he dodged the vaccination question in August. A reporter asked Rodgers if he had been vaccinated against COVID-19, to which Rodgers responded, “Yeah, I’ve been immunized.”

After Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, reports surfaced that the nine-time Pro Bowler has not, in fact, been vaccinated. Rodgers’ vaccination status means he will be sidelined until at least Nov. 13, knocking him out of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs and putting into question his availability for the Packers’ subsequent game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 14.

This could also mean Rodgers hadn’t been properly following COVID protocols, and the league had simply allowed it, because of his star status. Under those protocols, which were approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association over the summer, unvaccinated players are subject to more stringent rules than vaccinated players. They are required to wear masks “at all times when inside the Club facility,” including while working out in the weight room. They’re subject to daily PCR testing and are barred from coming within six feet of other unvaccinated players while traveling or eating meals.

Rodgers has been tested for COVID-19 on a daily basis, but it is not immediately clear whether he has complied with the other regulations. Rodgers has not worn a mask while speaking to members of the media at news conferences, which are held inside the team facility. A video has circulated on social media of him attending a Halloween party over the weekend with other Packers players. In the brief footage, Rodgers is not wearing a mask, raising serious questions as to whether stars are playing by a different set of rules.