NFL denies telling Aaron Rodgers vaccinated people couldn’t get or spread COVID-19

Enlarge this image

Aaron Rodgers walks off the field following in Glendale, Arizona on Oct. 28. Rodgers missed the Packers’ 13-7 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday after being placed on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Sports
Health care company cuts ties with Aaron Rodgers after COVID-19 vaccine comments

The NFL says Rodgers account is untrue

In an emailed statement, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy denied Rodger’s version of events.

«No, it’s not true,» McCarthy said. «No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that.»

Public health experts say the three coronavirus vaccines are shown to vastly reduce the likelihood of severe illness and death from COVID-19, but they are not 100% effective in blocking infection or preventing people from spreading the disease.

Rodgers missed Sunday’s game due to his COVID status

Rodgers missed the Packers’ 13-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after being placed on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list last week following a positive test. He is not vaccinated but previously said he was «immunized,» which he clarified in the interview meant that he’s following a separate protocol recommended by his personal medical team.

Rodgers said he couldn’t get the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines because he’s allergic to an ingredient in them. He also said that the Johnson & Johnson shot was «not even an option» for him in the spring after it was briefly shelved over blood clotting concerns, and said he’d heard of multiple people who’d had «adverse events» after getting the jab.

Rodgers said he asked the league to accept his immunization plan in lieu of getting vaccinated, but the league denied his request.

• COVID-19
• Aaron Rodgers
• NFL