First and foremost, I hope that Aaron Rodgers is ok. Nobody deserves Covid. I went through it last year, and for about five weeks, it kicked my ass. I hope he pulls through 100% as quickly as he can and returns to be able to finish his career. But I hope he does it after serving a suspension for his actions and his behavior preceding his positive diagnosis.
Rodgers sat in front of the podium and told the whole world, including the media, that he was "immunized" from Covid-19 when asked if he was vaccinated. He also said it was a personal decision whether any of his teammates were vaccinated or not. Rodgers thought he could skate through the season, and knew the consequences of his actions if he didn't vaccinate. He had asked the NFL and the Players Association to approve his "holistic approach" to vaccination back in the summer. Both concurred with their decision, that he wasn't vaccinated by their protocols. There have been reports that he did not follow the proper protocols throughout the season, an example of not masking up properly during the games on the sidelines or during interviews after games and practices. When asked if he knew all the rules, especially when it came to Rodgers being maskless during interviews and so on, Head Coach Matt LaFleur said he doesn't pay attention to rules for media interaction. Well maybe he should have, or someone should have told him.
It has been told by numerous players and coaches that the Packers knew that he wasn't vaccinated and were somewhat loose with their enforcement of his actions throughout the season. The NFL is supposedly checking in to what actions were taken during the year. The NFL is looking into how loose they indeed were with Aaron Rodgers and possibly others in the team. One wonders if the NFL is even checking into it. Green Bay is one of its premier franchises. Do they want to punish the "holy grail?"
What if Green Bay knew about this and wants to look good in the battle between Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay that has escalated over this past year. We all know what the spring and summer brought us between Rodgers and Green Bay. We all have been through the passive aggressiveness that Aaron Rodgers has shown, not only with the Packers organization but the fans of the Packers and the city of Green Bay. The fans of Green Bay deserve better than this. The Packers organization, in many eyes, lost the battle in the court of public opinion when it came to the sticky public dispute in August with Aaron Rodgers. Again, the fans are the ones that are suffering through this. Both Rodgers and the Packers organization should both be punished for this.
Rodgers blatantly flaunted his decision in front of the NFL and The Packers fans. He knew what he was doing. He has been given such a long leash for his actions, even long before this situation with covid. Whenever there has been any kind of adversity when it involved him, it was always someone else's fault. One wonders who if anyone else he may have been infected or could have been exposed with his unwillingness to follow the rules. He will obviously not be able to play this Sunday against Kansas City. He will be eligible to be activated the day before their game against Seattle a week from Sunday. If anyone has proven that they can play and not need the practice time, it is Aaron Rodgers. He knows that, believe me. He will go on as if he thinks nothing he did was wrong. Unless he is punished, either by the NFL or the Packers, this will be a disservice to the fans of the Packers.
This has nothing to do with privacy either, by the way. Or his decision to vaccinate, or not. One forgets that it is a privilege, not a right to play in the NFL. They have their own rules. He can be unvaccinated, and if he is, then his rules are tougher than those that are. That is the NFL rules, and he is not a special case, no matter how good he is, or how special he thinks he is. He has snubbed his nose at the NFL long enough. He has treated the media as if they are beneath them long enough. It is no different for him than it is for me in my line of work. If my company decides I have to be vaccinated or go by strict guidelines, those are the rules. If I don't follow that, I get disciplined or I quit. It's that simple.
If Green Bay willingly let Rodgers skate on the protocols, and just tried to cater to him, AGAIN, then they should be heavily disciplined as well. One wonders if this was Jacksonville, Detroit, or Cincinnati, would there be any doubt. Hell no, there wouldn't.
The NFL needs to do the right thing. IF their investigation proves that there was willful negligence in either Rodgers or both, then a punishment needs to be administered. Rodgers needs to be suspended three games at least for his actions, and the Packers need to be fined heavily. The question is, would the NFL do the right thing. I think we all know the answer to that.........
Lou Gamelin
The Captain Lou Extravaganza
Tuesday Nights 8-10 PM ET
photo credit: sunil-gc-B9-f13_v8dw-unsplash.jpg
