Aaron Rodgers’ Partnership With Healthcare Company Abruptly Ended After Star QB’s Anti-Vax Screed
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Wisconsin-based health care organization Prevea Health ended its nine-year partnership with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers amid his recent Covid-19 vaccine skepticism.
“Prevea Health and Aaron Rodgers have made the decision to end their partnership effective Nov. 6, 2021,” Prevea Health said in a statement on Saturday. “Aaron has been a partner of Prevea Health, serving as a spokesperson and supporting the health care organization’s health and wellness initiatives throughout Wisconsin, since 2012.
“Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” it continued. “This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent the virus from further significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.”
The joint announcement came one day after Rodgers’ appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, during which Rodgers confirmed that he is unvaccinated, despite previously saying “yeah, I’ve been immunized” when asked whether he had received the vaccine.
“During that time, it was a very witch hunt that was going on across the league where everybody in the media was so concerned about who was vaccinated and who wasn’t,” Rodgers said Friday.
Rodgers denied that he lied about his vaccination status, claiming that he underwent a homeopathic treatment in an attempt to boost his immunity but that he had been following NFL’s protocols for unvaccinated players and the league was aware of his status.
He said his decision was based on the fact that he is allergic to an ingredient in mRNA vaccines, which would leave the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine as his only option in the U.S. — but was concerned after the CDC paused its usage following a few cases of rare blood clots in individuals who received that vaccine.
According to the CDC, the blood clots occur at a rate of about one in 7 million among women ages 18-49, and occurs at an even lower rate in men of any ages and women over 50.
While Rodgers mainly attributed his decision to not get vaccinated to his allergy, he raised a separate concern.
“The next great chapter in my life I believe is being a father and it’s something that I care about a lot,” he said Friday. “To my knowledge there’s been zero long term studies around sterility or fertility issues around the vaccines so that was definitely something that I was worried about.”
The CDC has found no ties to infertility in either men or women from the Covid vaccine, and recommends that individuals who are pregnant or planning on having a child get vaccinated. Additionally, some experts have suggested that contracting Covid-19 could impact fertility.
Rodgers tested positive for Covid earlier this week, and said he has taken “monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, zinc, vitamin C, and D, [and hydroxychloroquine]” to try to treat it.
