Aaron Rodgers says he regrets his 'immunized' comment in 2021
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 10: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets looks on against the Washington Commanders during the preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 10, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeated the Commanders
NEW YORK - Aaron Rodgers says in a soon-to-be published book that he should have handled discussing his COVID-19 immunization status differently.
The New York Jets quarterback was still with the Green Bay Packers in 2021 when he told reporters he was "immunized" against the virus — and then tested positive for COVID-19 three months later and had to be sidelined for 10 days.
Rodgers unsuccessfully appealed to the league that his homeopathic treatment regimen should qualify him as vaccinated. The four-time NFL MVP was widely criticized for not being truthful about his status.
"If there’s one thing I wish could have gone different, it’s that, because that’s the only thing (critics) could hit me with," ESPN reported Rodgers told author Ian O'Connor for the biography, "Out Of The Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers," which goes on sale next week.
ESPN said Rodgers says in the book his main reason for claiming he was "immunized" was the statement represented "the crux of my appeal."
Rodgers said at the time he was allergic to an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines — polyethylene glycol — and was concerned about potential adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"But if I could do it again, I would have said, (forget) the appeal. I’m just going to tell them I’m allergic to PEG," Rodgers says in the book. "I’m not getting Johnson & Johnson. I’m not going to be vaxxed."
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The book, based on interviews with 250 people, including Rodgers, also delves into other aspects of the quarterback's life, including his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon after four snaps in his debut with the Jets last year, his long estrangement from his family, his introduction to using ayahuasca and details of his football playing career through college at Cal, his draft-day plunge in the first round in 2005 and his 18 seasons with the Packers.