Aaron Rodgers says in a soon-to-be published book that he should have handled his refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine 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. When he caught COVID-19 three months later and had to be sidelined for 10 days, a scandal erupted in the mainstream media.
Rodgers unsuccessfully appealed to the league that his homeopathic treatment regimen should qualify him as vaccinated. The four-time NFL MVP was widely criticized by the mainstream media.
“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.”
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.