Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher offered his political analysis of Aaron Rodgers as a potential candidate for public office during an interview on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Tuesday.
Urlacher played against Rodgers twice a year from 2008, when Rodgers took over as the Green Bay Packers starter, until Urlahcer's final season in 2012. But post-retirement, Urlacher finds himself on the same side as Rodgers on many political issues. One aspect of Rodgers' reputation that Urlacher believes makes the quarterback a viable candidate for public office some day is that he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Aaron would be a good one because of all the stuff he went through with the vax, not taking it, kind of standing up for the people who didn't want to get it," Urlacher said. "A lot of guys who played in the NFL didn't have a choice because they were younger and if they didn't get the shot, they'd probably just cut them."
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Rodgers incited controversy over his vaccination status in November 2021, when he tested positive for COVID and had to miss multiple games for the Packers. Rodgers had previously said he was "immunized" when asked by reporters if he got the vaccine during training camp in August.
The NFL fined the Packers $300,000 and issued $14,650 in fines to Rodgers for violations of league and players’ union protocols, deeming his comments about being immunized "misleading."
But while many fans turned against Rodgers after that, Urlacher believed it was a moment that may have also garnered support.
"I like that he stood up for the people, kind of the smaller guy, kind of joined in with them… Aaron really stood up for them," Urlacher said. "They put him through hell for it, they gave him a lot of flack in the media, the NFL made it hard for those guys who didn't get the shot, they tested them every day, they went through a little more of a strenuous schedule than the other guys who actually ended up getting the shot."
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After testing positive for the virus in November of that year, Rodgers clarified that he used the term "immunized" to describe a homeopathic treatment regimen and not a vaccine. Rodgers also said at the time he was allergic to polyethylene glycol, which is an ingredient in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and he was also concerned about potential adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
During an interview on "The Pat McAfee Show" that November, Rodgers apologized for "misleading" people about his vaccination status.
"I made some comments that people might have felt were misleading," he said. "And to anybody who felt misled by those comments, I take full responsibility for those comments."
However, Rodgers also firmly defended his decision not to get the vaccine.
"I’m an athlete, I’m not an activist. So I’m going to get back to doing what I do best and that’s playing ball," Rodgers said. "I shared my opinion. It wasn’t one that was come to frivolously. It involved a lot of study and what I felt was in my best interest for my body. But further comments I’m going to keep between myself and my doctors, and I don’t have any further comments about any of those things after this interview."
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