ESPN
There’s simply no denying that Aaron Rodgers has developed a fixation on and/or borderline obsession with the COVID vaccine. While much of the world has moved on — it’s now been almost five years since 2020 — Rodgers still routinely, almost pathologically, references it, with the latest instance being on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week.
Aaron Rodgers latest provocation of “vax status” came on the Tuesday, December 17 episode of The Pat McAfee Show in which he was seemingly responding to ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark calling him a fraud.
Clark has been critical of Rodgers leadership and performance all season. However, despite the fact that Clark didn’t say anything about Rodgers’ infamous “immunization” comments, the 41-year-old still circled the conversation back to vax status, which is something that was revelant going on four years ago.
“Say whatever the f— you want about me, I don’t care. But just before you do it, whether you state your name, your accolades, pronouns, whatever it is, just state your vax status so that anything you say afterwards gets put in the right light. Just get it out there,” Rodgers siad.
“Cause then when you say things about me, people can at least be like, ‘Oh, you are captured by the multimillion-dollar propaganda PSYOP and you’re still upset about it.’ Just put that out there just so everybody knows where you’re coming from. Everybody knows, ‘OK, cool, you’re twice vaxxed Moderna with three booster shots’ and then say what you want to say, whatever.”
Rodgers was clearly taking shots at Ryan Clark as he made fun of his style choices, particularly a pin that he wears on his outfits that bear his initial “RC.”
“So just put it out there on your bio on your shows or whatever, you don’t just need a broach with your initials. Put your vax status on there too,” Rodgers added.
“I just got a PSA..
Just a quick reminder” 😂😂 ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6dI6X86Hwp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 17, 2024
Clark caught wind of Rodgers comments and responded to him on social media, saying “Man, I wish @PatMcAfeeShow would’ve let him keep going! It just got good. I don’t know about the Vax stuff, but shoot he almost put a name on it. It’s a lapel pin BTW!”
Man, I wish @PatMcAfeeShow would’ve let him keep going! It just got good. I don’t know about the Vax stuff, but shoot he almost put a name on it. It’s a lapel pin BTW!! 😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/FjuhJrAZq4
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 17, 2024
Clark originally called out Rodgers last week after Rodgers went on The Pat McAfee Show to rail against the network’s personalities. Clark took specific issue with the perceived hypocrisy of Rodgers’ comments, as he’s a paid contributor on The Pat McAfee Show.
“This dude is once again, tone deaf. This dude is once again, unaware. This dude is once again, arrogant—to a point that’s almost sickening. Because he says these things and he talks tough, and he behaves in this way, but he ain’t,” Clark said.
“He has all of this cache because he’s a good player. But [there] ain’t people around here that come around and talk about what type of leader you are. [There] ain’t people that come around here talking about wanting to follow you because of the type of man you have been. This dude is a fraud. He’s been a fraud.”
Rodgers has every right to call out Clark, especially after the former Steelers safety used such aggressive language about him, but the reversion to commenting on “vax status” highlights just how gripped he’s become by the vaccine controversy, as it’s a become a clear before/after moment in his life and his after has essentially seen him erase whatever his reputation was prior.
On one hand, he claims his new enlightened psychedelic-taking persona does not care what anyone thinks about him, but on the other, he references the very thing that made people change their opinion on him at a compulsive rate.
Rodgers and the New York Jets — who have a 4-10 record and will be missing the playoffs for the 14th straight season — will host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. So far this season, Rodgers has completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,255 yards, 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.